


Nonsense

by BentOvrBckwrds1



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Colorguard Member Lance (Voltron), Drummer Keith (Voltron), Fluff, Happy Ending, High School AU, Human AU, Lance is really self-depricating, Langst, M/M, Marching Band AU, Music, Non-binary Pidge (Voltron), Orphan Keith (Voltron), Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Sad, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), and more on the side, band au, klance, klangst, shallura - Freeform, shallura is super minor, theres a mixtape to go with the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-19 18:36:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12415689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BentOvrBckwrds1/pseuds/BentOvrBckwrds1
Summary: Here’s his number,” Lance looked up when he heard the door open and saw Pidge holding a napkin out to him. It fluttered in the wind, but he could still see numbers scrawled on it in Pidge’s handwriting. He was certain it was Keith’s phone number.“Why?” Lance took the paper and looked at it, reading over the number in his head. His heart fluttered a bit at the thought of texting Keith, but he knew what it would be for, “Wait, you’re going to make me apologize to him, aren’t you?”“Exactly. And if you don’t, I’ll know,” On that note, Pidge turned around and went back inside, leaving Lance outside with his thoughts and a napkin. He had to text Keith. He had to fix this disaster, so he pulled out his phone and started typing in the number nervously.Head snare drummer Keith has moved to his newest high school and immediately runs into (quite literally) colorguard member Lance. Soon he's part of a whole group of friends where he never knows what new shenanigans are going to come next. From Spin the Bottle to late night talks under the stars, this marching season is one hell of a ride.





	1. Out of Step

**Author's Note:**

> So I've never written a fic before so this one might be a bit rough, but one of my best friends edited it and she's amazing so huge shout-out to Hannah!

_Crash!_ The two cymbal players in the front of the group smashed their cymbals together, making a resounding noise that made everyone around them wince. A tuba player nearby was used to this and even remembered earplugs. This made it hard for him to hear though, so he relied solely on the two drum majors who were conducting the group from atop pedestals at the front. They were watching the snare drums to make sure they were correct in their timing, in particular, the head snare. He was so focused on his work and he almost never got off-beat. 

Until he got hit in the head with a flagpole. That’s when everything started to go wrong. 

Keith Kogane immediately stopped what he was doing, pausing momentarily to recollect himself. He spun around to see who was off their spot enough to hit him with their flag. He was met with the face of a grinning boy, one who obviously didn’t care that he just hit the head snare drummer with a flagpole. 

Keith’s pause distracted the drum majors, who both had to scramble to find someone else to watch to stay on beat. In their haste, they both missed a beat or two, throwing off the entire band. The tuba played at the wrong time and the cymbal players missed their crash. All because of a colorguard member who didn’t know his place. 

“Stop! Stop right there!” The band director, an older man by the name of Mr. Coran, shouted over a megaphone that he carried with him everywhere. The entire band immediately stopped playing, watching him intently to find out what went wrong. 

“What was that?” Keith spun on the boy who had hit him with the pole. He scowled, glaring intently at him.

“You were in the wrong spot,” the boy smirked like he was right, though he very clearly was not. His blue eyes glimmered in determination.

“I was not!” The conversation quickly escalated to an argument as the two spat taunts at each other.

“You don’t know where you’re going!”

“At least I did what I was supposed to!”

“Well, you can’t even play the right part!”

“What are you talking about?!?”

“Boys!” The argument was immediately halted by Mr. Coran, who shouted over the megaphone to get their attention. “Stop fighting!”

“He started it!” The two pointed at each other, glaring.

Mr. Coran audibly sighed before shouting, “Let’s run it again!”

The band students collectively groaned and reset to the beginning of their show performance, moving across the practice field in unorganized chaos.

“Watch it,” Keith muttered to the colorguard boy as he passed, hoping he would get it right next time. The boy didn’t respond, instead slapping his arm with the flagpole. Keith ignored it and continued walking to his spot at the front of the band next to the rest of the snare drums. 

The halftime show performance started again, songs flawlessly blending into one another as the band moved across the field in perfect synchronization. They had only been practicing the show for two weeks and already sounded and looked spectacular. 

The drums started in front, backing into the rest of the group and spreading out, forming a symmetrical arc shape. Then they moved into a wave formation, spacing themselves out as they continued to play, watching the drum majors. The drums would back into the colorguard and play next to them as they spun their flags and tossed them into the air with timing that was spot-on. 

Keith was off in his own little world. Drumming was a perfect escape from the real one, allowing him to focus entirely on one task and doing it perfectly. It was something he could do well and enjoyed doing beyond anything else; he could block out the rest of the world with it. 

Unless something forced him out of it, like what happened for the second time that rehearsal; he was hit with the flag again. This time was different, he didn’t stop playing. He didn’t even turn to look at the obnoxious boy beside him who was surely smirking and waiting for a reaction. Keith wasn’t going to give him the time of day. 

Then it happened again.

And again.

And a fourth time.

Keith tried to ignore it. He really did. But then he had to turn and face the boy as part of the choreography. He was met with a glare that he returned instantly. The two circled each other like the rest of the band, managing to stay perfectly synchronized despite the circumstances. They finally separated, moving on to the next part of the song. Keith rolled his eyes and continued playing.

The song ended and the group practiced their march-off, moving to the beat of Keith and the other drummers. 

“Okay guys, that’s it for this rehearsal! Good job everyone!” Mr. Coran curled his mustache around his finger as he spoke, watching the high schoolers leave the practice field. Keith avoided him, skirting around his line of vision carefully. He didn’t need to get yelled at again.

“Keith!” He spun around, sure he was caught. Instead, it was one of the drum majors, a fellow senior named Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane. He was jogging towards Keith, his white bangs bouncing amongst his black hair and his prosthetic arm swinging, it’s shiny silver reflecting sunlight, “What happened back there?”

“That kid doesn’t know his place,” Keith put it simply as he walked back into the school with Shiro trailing after him, “and he won’t fix it.”

Unbeknownst to Keith, the “kid” was walking right behind him. He heard everything and crept up beside the drummer. “Uh, the name’s Lance.”

Keith groaned and looked over to see Lance next to him. 

“And you’re the one know doesn’t know his spot, mullet.” Lance grinned like the nickname was the best thing he’d ever come up with. Keith glared at him with annoyance. He turned back to Shiro only to see that Shiro had gone off to talk to his girlfriend and fellow drum major, Allura. Keith immediately looked for somewhere he could go to avoid Lance, who was still walking behind him and talking about something Keith wasn’t listening to, “you know, Keith and Lance, neck and neck!”

“Nice job today Keith,” Keith looked down to see Pidge, one of the front ensemble and crash cymbal players, walking beside him. They were short with big glasses but that was all Keith knew about them; they had never spoken to him before. Was everyone trying to talk to him today or something?

“Thanks?” They walked away before he could say anything else. He was thoroughly puzzled by the fact that Pidge chose today of all days to compliment him. He had messed up big-time. Keith watched them walk away, his mind whirring with questions. Had they meant it sarcastically? Did they want to be friends?

The dark-haired boy pushed the thoughts away as he pulled his drum off the harness and shoved it in his band locker. He was secluded in his own corner of the band room, his locker located away from the rest. He had picked that locker on purpose, avoiding all other band members. He was rather anti-social. He didn’t exactly enjoy having no friends, but he wouldn’t be at the school any longer than a year so it wouldn’t matter. 

The bell rang and Keith pulled on his red jacket, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and walking out the back door to the parking lot. He pulled a pair of earbuds from his pocket and put them on, playing soft music in his ears. 

He found his motorcycle where he had left it that morning, parked behind the school. He didn’t even put it in a parking spot, knowing no one would touch it here anyway. Keith walked over to it and hopped on, swinging one leg over the back. The cycle started up with a jolt and loud noise before he sped out of the parking lot, trying to avoid the traffic that came with the end of the school day.

<><><><><>

The next day Keith watched Pidge from a distance. He wanted to compliment them on something but he couldn’t figure out what to say. They were amazing at playing in the front ensemble, hitting the xylophone at the exact time with the others. They could play with four sticks, two placed in each hand, which Keith thought was quite impressive. He wasn’t sure what to say though. Should he just walk up to them and say ‘Four sticks! Wow! Can we be friends!?!’? Nope. That would ruin the friendship before it even started. What about ‘Nice xylophone playing! Is this a friendship now?’. This was a mistake. 

Keith spent the entirety of the rehearsal avoiding Lance’s flag and watching Pidge. He had to sidestep Lance on multiple occasions, to which Lance frowned and continued. It was like he wanted to hit Keith with a flag. He probably found humor in it. Keith wasn’t going to give him something to laugh at. 

The rehearsal finally ended and Keith decided to track down Pidge, weaving his way through the crowd and bumping people with his drum. He stood on his toes, looking over the heads of the other band members. He found Pidge on the outskirts of the group, their short blonde hair shining in the sunlight. He walked over to them and said the first thing he could think of, “Hi.”

They looked over at him and smiled, “Oh hey Keith, how’s it going?”

“Good I guess.” He smiled a little, trying to look approachable and friendly, “How about you?”

“Pretty good. A group of friends and I started a practice group after school, for band music; you should stop by,” Pidge adjusted their large glasses and continued, “we’ll be out here when school ends if you wanna come.”

Keith nodded, contemplating the idea in his head. This could finally be his chance to make friends. “Maybe I will.” Pidge walked away, leaving him wondering why he wanted friends so badly all of the sudden. He’d never had any before and now he was suddenly willing to go to a practice group with a bunch of kids he didn’t know so he could make a friend. But why? He didn’t think he could answer the question. 

As he put away his drum, Keith gave it some more thought. He wanted to go, but at the same time, he was unsure. On one hand, he could finally make some friends, he could meet new people, he could maybe have some fun. On the other hand, he could make a fool of himself, he could push away these people some more, or he could mess up. 

The bell rang, signifying the end of the day. Keith sighed and pulled on his red jacket, walking outside and hopping on his motorcycle. He drove out of the parking lot with the engine roaring. 

Maybe he could try again tomorrow. 

Keith’s bike stopped in front of a large house with a fence. It was a nice and inviting cream color with a dark roof. Keith knew it all too well, having lived there for over a month now. He sighed and turned off his bike, leaving in the center of the driveway. He got off and walked up the steps to the front door. He didn’t like it here one bit. It was not the nicest foster home he had been in, in fact, it was one of the worst. His foster mother always looked at him with this pitying smile, like he was a wounded animal that needed help, and his foster father completely ignored him. The combination of the two lead to a very uncomfortable experience for Keith. He avoided them at all costs. 

The door slowly creaked open, Keith cringing at the sound. He walked in silently, closing the door behind him and taking off his boots. He tossed them aside and walked upstairs, finding his bedroom and disappearing into it without a word. He wouldn’t come out for the rest of the day except if necessary like he did every day since he had arrived here. 

His bedroom was rather bare. There were some posters he’d bought a few houses back, when there had been a hole in his wall that he couldn’t stand looking at. He didn’t feel like throwing them out so he’d kept them. They looked out of place here since they were all on one wall and every other wall was empty. 

It was quiet here. It was quiet in the entire house, always. His foster parents didn’t do much talking and weren’t home often. He had the house to himself and could do whatever he pleased, but he preferred to stay in his room. 

<><><><><>

“So where were you yesterday?”

Keith closed his locker to find Pidge leaning on the one next to it, staring at him intently with their green eyes. He frowned at them, wondering how they had found his locker. It didn’t have any sort of name tag on it. 

“I said I might go, not that I was going to for sure,” Keith started to walk away, thinking he was going to be late to class. Pidge followed.

“You should totally come to one! It will be fun! You could make some friends,” Pidge elbowed him and he frowned. How did they know so much about him?

“I have friends.”

“Name one.”

“Uh… Shiro?” Keith said the first name that popped into his head and immediately winced at how fake it sounded. He had always been a terrible liar. 

“Uh-huh,” Pidge smirked, knowing they’d won. “You should totally come.” With those parting words, they disappeared into the crowd of people, leaving Keith alone. He sighed. He was going to have to go to one of these rehearsals. Pidge wouldn’t stop bothering him until he did. 

He went to band and tried to avoid Pidge. If he didn’t talk to them, he could escape when school ended and not attend the practice. He put on his drum and went outside, standing in his formation spot and waiting for the rest of the band to arrive. Lance passed him and groaned, muttering something about his hair. Keith shrugged it off and the rehearsal began, going perfectly as planned. He only got hit with a flagpole twice, and he’d gotten used to it by now anyway. 

The entire rehearsal was rather uneventful so Keith’s mind was occupied by other things, like thinking of a way to avoid Pidge. Why were they suddenly invested in his personal life?

As the rehearsal ended, Keith attempted to escape Pidge, darting to the front of the group and pulling off his drum as he walked. He thought he was in the clear until he heard their voice behind him. 

“You’ll be at rehearsal,” Pidge didn’t ask it like a question. It was a statement and there was no getting out of it. Keith cursed to himself and thought of something quickly. 

“I have work?” He said it awkwardly in a last attempt to get them to leave him alone. 

“Nope. No getting out of this one, edgy boy,” Pidge laughed a little at the nickname and Keith groaned. What was with this school and their awful nicknames for him?

“Fine. See you in ten minutes,” Keith slammed his band locker shut and grabbed his backpack, walking out of the band room. There would be no getting out of it this time. 

Ten minutes later, Keith found his way back to the band room, walking as slowly as he could to procrastinate his arrival. He wondered who would be there, curious as to who Pidge’s friends were. He pushed the door open and walked in, looking at the group in the band room. Pidge themself stood among a group that was talking and messing with instruments. 

Another front ensemble member, Matt Holt, stood next to Pidge. The two were very close friends, or so Keith thought. He didn’t know much about Matt. Next to them were the two drum majors, Shiro and his girlfriend Allura. Of course they, of all people, were friends with Pidge. One of the tuba players, a boy named Hunk, was sitting on a stack of boxes next to the one and only, Lance. 

At the sight of Lance, Keith turned around to leave. Maybe if he got out of there before anyone saw him it’d be fine. But of course, as he was walking out he heard his name get called. He stiffened, turning back around slowly. It was Pidge who’d said it, and they were now waving to him and gesturing for him to join the rest of the group. He walked towards them slowly and heard Lance groan loudly. 

“Why does Mullet Boy have to be here?” Hunk elbowed him and whispered something about being nice to the new kid. 

“Yeah Pidge, why do I have to be here, can I go?” Keith glared at them, then at Lance. He wanted to leave as soon as he’d seen the other boy’s dumb smirking face. 

“Nope. You’re staying here. If you don’t like it after this rehearsal, you don’t have to come back ever again. You can forget you ever met me, but just stay for this one,” Pidge grabbed his sleeve and dragged him over to the group. They introduced him to each person, “Guys this is Keith. Keith this is my brother Matt, Shiro and his girlfriend Allura, and Hunk. I see you’ve already met Lance.”

“Wait a second, Matt is your brother? But isn’t your last name Gunderson?” Keith raised an eyebrow at them.

“Yes. Mom remarried,” Pidge said it quickly, like it was a subject they didn’t want to talk about. They spun around and grabbed their sticks from Lance, who had picked them up and was drumming against his leg, “Don’t touch my stuff.” Lance reluctantly dropped them, pouting a little. Keith smiled at this. Anyone who could boss around Lance like that was a great person in his mind. 

The group grabbed their instruments and brought them outside, Pidge and Matt wheeling out their xylophones and carrying their crash cymbals; front ensemble played a bit of everything. 

The sun shone down on the group as they set up, spreading out on the empty field and finding their spots. It was still very warm out for late September, averaging around eighty degrees even though the trees were losing leaves. 

Keith tossed his jacket to the group and pulled on his drum harness, getting ready for the first song. He had memorized the music when he’d gotten it a month ago and could play it in his sleep. The same couldn’t be said for the rest of the group though. Matt and Pidge had their music pinned under leftover sticks to keep it from blowing away; Hunk had his attached to his tuba. 

Shiro and Allura walked to the front, counting off the group and watching them play. The two conducted in perfect synchronization, occasionally looking at each other to check that they were still on point. They always were. 

Lance stood across the field, twirling his flag in the wind. It was a mesmerizing sight to watch Lance twirl. He could do it better than the rest of the colorguard, faster and more precise. He could do the choreography better too. He was very flexible and could move quickly. Keith would never admit it, but he didn’t mind watching Lance practice. 

Keith crossed the field and stopped at his next position, watching the others do the same. He was near Lance now. This was the part where Lance always hit him with the flag, and right now was no different. The flag swooped down, hitting his shoulder. He ignored it and tried to lose himself in the music. He did so rather quickly, ignoring Lance and the rest of the group. So he didn’t notice Lance watching him until the song ended. Lance had a different look on his face, not loathing like he usually did. Instead, he had a curious gaze, like he was witnessing something brand new and confusing. ‘What is he looking at?’ Keith thought as the group prepped themselves for the second song. 

The band played two songs at every football game, usually for half-time but sometimes for a pre-show as well. The second one was a lot simpler, both in movements and music, so the band rarely practiced it. 

The drum majors counted them off and they began to play. Keith didn't immediately immerse himself in the song, instead listening to the others and watching them perform. They sounded quite good for only having four people playing instruments. It was clear this group was tight-knit and had done this many times. He wondered how they'd come to be like this. How were these friendships made between people who were all quite different? Then again, he was here too, and he was probably the most different among them. He was quite an outsider, though to a stranger he'd look just like the rest. 

The song ended and the group yelled things out to one another. 

“Nice job on that fast part Pidge!”

“Your flag turning was on point Lance!”

“Great job everyone!”

Keith didn’t know what to say until Pidge turned and grinned at him, “Good job Keith!” He smiled and thanked them. This wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

Neither was the next day.

Or the one after that.

He wasn’t sure why he kept going to the practices. Maybe it was his fear of Pidge, his wanting to outshine Lance, or his need for friends, but he kept returning. The rest of the group slowly started including him. Hunk was the first, talking to him outside rehearsal and in the halls. The two had a science class together but had never talked until now. Keith thought it was nice to have someone who would be his partner on group projects or talk to him in the halls. 

The others grew closer to him too. Shiro gave him tips and helped him through tricky spots (or tried too. He had never touched a drum in his life, but it was the thought that counted), Allura praised him during practice, and Matt asked for advice on stick positions. Everyone had warmed up to him except Lance, but Keith could care less about what Lance thought.

Right?

<><><><><>

It was the Friday before the first band performance of the year. The air tingled with a sense of excitement as students milled around the band room, waiting for the rehearsal to start. Chatter filled the space, bouncing off the wall. Everyone was excited for the last rehearsal before the first show. Even Keith talked to his new friends excitedly. He listened to Hunk explaining something about the uniforms while he put on his drum, anticipating the rehearsal before it even began. He hoped that today would finally be the day Lance would get his stuff together and stop messing around.

The group marched outside, noting that it was quite warm. The next day was predicted to be warm as well, making their thick uniforms a problem. Keith decided to ignore it though, thinking that maybe it would cool down a bit before the big show the next day. He instead put his entire focus into drumming. Today was going to be the best rehearsal yet. He wasn’t going to get hit with a flag or miss a step.

The first song began and Keith was off, moving across the field in perfect sync to his playing, marching back and forth, going diagonally at times. Everything was going according to plan. All he had to do was get past the part near Lance and he would be in the clear. He looked back at the colorguard boy to make sure he was out of the way and found him looking his way. The two made eye contact for a moment before Lance looked away, looking back at the drum majors. 

_Was he staring at me again?_ Keith was sure he was overthinking it. Why would Lance McClain be watching him? It’s not like he could correct him, the boy had probably never touched a drum in his life. Keith stood next to him, making sure to avoid flag range.

Toward the end of the song, Keith caught him staring again. Was there something on his back? Was this a joke? What was going on?

The band practiced their other song, but Keith had lost all hopes of focusing. He was still wondering about Lance. He missed a step and almost tripped, messing up majorly. Shiro saw him do it too. He called off the song, halting the group. Keith shuddered, preparing for the Dad Lecture™. But it never came. 

“Okay guys, I think we’re good for today, right Mr. Coran?” Shiro got off his pedestal as Mr. Coran nodded.

“You students have been doing wonderfully! You deserve a break!”

Shiro made direct eye contact with Keith. Keith looked down, avoiding Shiro’s signature Dad Glare. He’d messed up pretty badly, but knew what he did was wrong and wasn’t going to make the mistake twice. He didn’t need to get lectured about it too. 

“Are you alright Keith?” Too late. 

“I’m fine,” Keith shrugged and continued walking, hoping Shiro would leave him alone. 

“What’s on your mind? You seemed pretty distracted out there.”

“I dunno. Just life I guess.”

“Okay, but if you ever wanna talk, you know where to find me,” Shiro walked off to find his girlfriend, finally leaving Keith alone. Keith needed to know what was happening with Lance because it was very distracting. He wouldn’t be able to play correctly until their “rivalry” had been settled. Keith had never agreed to the rivalship, but it was all Lance would talk about, how he was so much better than Keith at everything. Keith didn’t even argue either, just letting it happen. But Lance wouldn’t let it go. 

Keith skipped the after school practice that day, heading straight to his foster home and returning to his bedroom to be secluded in peace. He didn’t want to see anyone for the rest of the day. 

<><><><><>

The performance. 

Keith zipped up the pants on his uniform, putting the straps over his shoulders. He didn’t like them very much since it felt like wearing snowpants in September. They were a dark blue color, matching the jacket he had to put on next. He slid into it, zipping it in the back. 

The rest of the group was getting ready around him. Allura, who had gotten their early, was helping the others zip into their jackets, reminding them to untuck their shoulder flaps and roll up their socks. If Shiro was the Dad Friend, she was clearly the Mom Friend. 

Keith put on his hat, pulling his bangs out of the way and making last-minute adjustments to the uniform. He tied his black shoes and looked at himself. The uniform was nice, one of the better ones he’d had. It was dark blue with red stripes running diagonally down the middle, his favorite part. The uniform overall looked very good. 

The rest of the group finished putting on theirs, all looking very nice. The uniform was flattering on everyone. Especially Lance. Wait, why was Keith thinking that? He did have to admit that Lance looked extra stunning in his colorguard uniform, which shimmered blue under the lights. It made his aqua eyes pop and his freckles have an interesting contrast. Was he wearing makeup? 

Keith moved the thoughts out of his head and put on his drum as Mr. Coran entered the room, wearing a brightly colored outfit and yelling, “Is everyone ready?!? Does anyone need help with anything because we’re leaving in just a moment?!?” He was distracted by a freshman wearing their jacket backwards. 

The band marched outside, moving as a unit to the football field, where the lights blazed and the cheers just kept getting louder. Keith marched alongside Pidge, who was wheeling a xylophone in front of them. 

“You ready?” There was an edge of excitement in their voice. 

“Sure,” Keith nodded, “as ready as I’ll ever be I guess. I just hope Lance doesn’t mess up his mark again.”

“He’s new to colorguard, I think he just needs time to get used to the whole giant flag and stuff,” They shrugged.

“Really? I would’ve pegged him as an expert,” Keith frowned, realizing what just came out of his mouth, “Wait, never tell him I said that.”

Pidge just chuckled as they neared the football field. The roar of the crowds inside was deafening, even from outside. Feet were stomping and people were yelling. It was an average high school football game.

“Let’s get set up guys, we’ll be walking out to our bleachers momentarily,” Mr. Coran attempted to negotiate with the bouncers guarding the entrance, telling them the band had to get in. They stepped aside and the group filed in, taking their seats in a set of bleachers nearby. Keith sat on the end with the other percussionists, including Pidge and Matt. 

The football game began, their team (The Garrison Pilots) against the Baku Mermaids, a nearby school with a decent athletics program. Their team scored the first few points, but Keith could care less. He had never been one to bother himself with sports. He was only here for the band. It appeared that the rest of the band was the same way. Some of the other drummers sat on the track that surrounded the field, talking and laughing. Matt and Pidge were talking as well. Keith spotted Lance and Hunk talking on the other end of the bleachers and noted that Shiro and Allura were absent. He figured they would turn up eventually…

“How many more minutes?” Keith asked the question for the third time to Pidge, who was slowly growing more annoyed with him. 

“Two, Keith,” They rolled their eyes and continued their conversation with Matt. Keith sat behind them, growing increasingly more impatient. He couldn’t stand waiting so long. He was used to it from previous years, but he still didn’t like it. He stared into the dark sky and waited. 

“Okay guys! Let’s go!” Mr. Coran jumped up and strolled onto the field as the football players made their way off. The rest of the band filed on in their neat order, silently. Keith looked up at the crowd for the first time, noticing how insane the Garrison students were. They were all decked out in various swim gear, from swimsuits to snorkels, a clear jab at Baku’s mascot. He tried not to chuckle at the boys wearing seashell bikinis as he found his way to the center where he started the song. 

The performance started out well. Keith moved across the field with accurate timing, lost in his music as always. He usually got super into the zone during performances, always bringing his A-game, so he forgot a very important person… 

_Slam!_ He was hit on the brim of his hat with a flag. It pushed his hat down over his eyes, blocking his vision. He began to move in the wrong direction, colliding with another drummer. He stopped playing long enough to pull his hat out of his eyes, losing his place in the music. He heard Lance chuckle behind him as he tried to figure out where he was at, moving across the field to try and find his spot. He didn’t make it in time. The first song ended and everyone stood still as Keith sprinted across the field, spouting curses under his breath. 

The crowd applauded and the next song began, Keith barely making it to his place in time. He played off the entire time. He was incredibly distracted and embarrassed, trying to get it over with as quickly as possible. He dropped a stick. He couldn’t reach down to get it, resulting in his playing suddenly going silent. 

Just when he thought the song would never end, it did. The group marched off the field to the lazy applause of the audience. He scooped up his stick and rushed off, face flushing a bright red. He ran all the way to the band room and didn’t look back.

“Nice job Keith,” Lance snickered as he walked past Keith, who was pulling off his uniform in a rush.

“Fuck off Lance.”

“Woah woah, just trying to give you a compliment,” Lance backed away defensively, trying to cover up his laughter. Keith just rolled his eyes, pulling off the last pieces of his uniform and putting them away. 

“Wanna come with us to get ice cream?” Pidge appeared beside him, taking off their hat and starting to unzip the jacket. 

“No thanks Pidge, I got something going on,” Keith muttered, slamming his band locker. 

“We both know you don’t. Come with us!” Pidge pestered. 

“I have no choice, do I?”

“Yep.”

So there they were, the entire group sitting in a large booth in an empty Dairy Queen late at night. It was quiet as the group ate their ice cream. Keith watched them, refusing to get any ice cream of his own because of his lactose intolerance. He didn’t know why he had come. He could’ve snuck out the back and jumped on his motorcycle when Pidge wasn’t looking, but that would be kinda rude.

Hunk was the first one to speak, “Nice job everyone!” He licked Butterfinger Blizzard off his face and grinned. 

“Everyone except Keith, you mean,” Lance snickered, throwing him what could only be described as a shit-eating grin. 

“What are you talking about?” Matt, who was always one to laugh at the ridicule of the others, stuck his chocolate-sundae-covered nose into the conversation. 

“Oh Keith! He messed up so bad! His hat fell in his eyes so he tripped and bumped into some other kids and missed his spot! It was hilarious!” Lance cackled at the memory of Keith flailing around with a hat over his eyes. 

“It was your fault!” Keith stood up, slamming his hands against the table and silencing the laughter that had broken out among the group. His temper was running short and he was done trying to reason with Lance. 

“Nope. Not buying it, you were still in the wrong spot!” Lance shouted back. 

“Why am I even trying to argue?”

“Yeah! If you just went to your spot like you were supposed to, you wouldn’t have messed up in front of everyone!” Lance laughed some more, but Keith didn't get the joke. 

“It wasn’t funny!”

“I never said it was!”

“You’re laughing, I see you!”

“Okay, it was pretty hilarious…”

“I’m outta here,” Keith walked out without another word, slamming the entrance door and getting on his motorcycle. He sped out of the parking lot without another look, jacket blowing in the wind. He didn’t know why he was so mad at Lance, but his short temper combined with his lack of friend experience made him blow up. 

They all watched him go, staring out the window silently. Lance made a face. After Keith was gone for good, they all turned on him. Pidge was the first to say something, raising their voice at Lance.

“Apologize to him!”

“It was his fault!”

“No it wasn’t Lance!” The entire group was mad at him now. They were all friends with Keith and felt bad for him.

The shouting escalated and Lance started to realize that he’d made a mistake. He’d taken this joke too far and needed to fix the mess he’d made. He stood up and walked out the front door, which jingled when he opened it. The boy shivered at the crisp, nighttime air outside. He looked around for his car before remembering that he’d carpooled with the rest of the group to get here. He couldn’t leave. He sat down against the building, putting his head on his knees and feeling like a terrible person. 

“Here’s his number,” Lance looked up when he heard the door open and saw Pidge holding a napkin out to him. It fluttered in the wind, but he could still see numbers scrawled on it in Pidge’s handwriting. He was certain it was Keith’s phone number.

“Why?” Lance took the paper and looked at it, reading over the number in his head. His heart fluttered a bit at the thought of texting Keith, but he knew what it would be for, “Wait, you’re going to make me apologize to him, aren’t you?”

“Exactly. And if you don’t, I’ll know,” On that note, Pidge turned around and went back inside, leaving Lance outside with his thoughts and a napkin. He had to text Keith. He had to fix this disaster, so he pulled out his phone and started typing in the number nervously. 

<><><><><>

Keith got back and realized it was pretty late. He pulled off his jacket and went up to his room, putting on his pajamas and setting his phone on his nightstand. He turned off the lights and climbed into bed, ready to fall asleep and never wake up. 

His phone buzzed. 

Keith groaned, opening his eyes and leaning over to look at it. He opened the text and frowned.

555-6912: sorry about earlier

Who could be texting him this late at night?

K: whos this?

555-6912: shit

555-6912: its lance

K: lance who

555-6912: lance from band

K: why do you have my #?

L: pidge

K: oh

K: wait why does pidge have my #?

L: they have their ways

K: oh

When Lance said nothing more, Keith tossed his phone aside and closed his eyes. He was starting to drift off when his phone buzzed again. He contemplated leaving it alone but figured Lance would keep bothering him until he picked up.

L: idk if u were paying attention before but i said im sorry for earlier

K: yeah i saw it

L: so??

K: so what?

L: do you forgive me?

Keith shut down his phone, throwing it across the room with a groan. That boy would not stop.


	2. March-Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith get their shit together.

Keith slept in the next Monday, hoping to drown his sorrows in sleep. He rolled over and stared at his open window, where the sun shone directly on him. He rolled back over. He didn’t want to go back to school; he wanted to stay in his bedroom and sleep all day. Lance couldn’t bother him in his bedroom. The group couldn’t try to make up for Lance in his bedroom. It was just him and his bed. 

Until his foster mom poked her head in the doorway. She was smiling and holding a coffee in her hand, it was probably her fifth one, “Hey sweetie, you’re going to be late for school if you don’t leave right now!” She ducked back into the hall, closing the door. Keith threw his pillow at the door, muttering something unintelligible. 

The only reason he got up was because he wanted his pillow back. He’d gotten up to grab it and realized by that point that there was no point in trying to fall back asleep, so he’d grabbed a grey t-shirt and black jeans and went to school.

Avoiding friends was harder than Keith would’ve thought. Especially when one of his friends seemed to know about his every move. 

“Did Lance text you yesterday?” Pidge was waiting for him by his locker, watching him. He ignored them, opening his locker and grabbing a textbook before slamming it and walking away. They followed him though, and he knew he’d have to say something. 

“Yeah.”

“What’d he say?” At this point, Keith knew Pidge had made Lance text him. That added an entire level to his annoyance with his friends currently. He walked faster, hoping Pidge’s short legs couldn’t keep up.

“What did he say?” He had no such luck.

“I dunno, he was apologizing for yesterday,” Keith shrugged and pretended he was nearing his classroom, ducking into the nearest open door and waiting a few moments. When he thought he’d lost Pidge, he stepped out and started walking again, only to find Pidge waiting outside the door. 

“That’s not your class.”

“I know.”

“So what’d you go in there for?”

“To avoid you.” And that was the end of that. Pidge rolled their eyes and walked away, happy with the information they got. Lance had texted Keith and apologized. Did Keith accept the apology? Probably not. But it was a start.

<><><><><>

At the end of band rehearsal that day, Mr. Coran had a very important announcement. He yelled to get the band’s attention, but when it lead to nothing. When the entire group was silent, he stopped. “Good, that was hurting my throat,” He coughed and a couple students chuckled, “We have a very important announcement!” He gestured to the drum majors and stepped off the pedestal, allowing Allura to take his spot. 

“Okay guys, we have officially been challenged to a march-off!” Shiro said it with a bright smile, like a kid on Christmas, “Our rival school, Galra High, wants to march against us in a competition and let the audience pick the winner!” He grinned excitedly as the group started to whisper to each other. The murmuring got louder and louder as the band got more excited. They started cheering, something about kicking Galra ass. 

Keith watched them, refusing to smile. The only thing he could think of was the last performance, and how badly he’d screwed up. He thought back to marching in the wrong direction, and ending at the wrong time, and dropping a stick. The last show was a disaster and that couldn’t happen again. He could ruin the competition for the entire band if he and Lance didn’t get their stuff together, and quick. 

“The competition is in one week, so prepare yourselves!” Allura shouted it over the roar of the excited students, who just grew louder at this realization. They had less time to practice than they’d thought. This meant Keith had to get the problem with Lance sorted out immediately. This rivalry had to be laid to rest, for at least the time being.

Mr. Coran, knowing there was no way he could get the band to play now, ended the rehearsal early. Keith rushed inside, looking for Lance. He couldn’t find the colorguard boy anywhere. He looked around, noting that he hadn’t gotten hit with a flag that day. He waited by the door to the band room, the one everyone exited out of. Lance would have to go through that door, and Keith would find him. 

But he didn’t. As the last of the band to walk out left, Keith looked around. Where was Lance? He found Pidge, putting the cover on the xylophone and organizing the mallets. “Pidge! Where’s Lance?”

They looked up to see Keith, shrugging and continuing their work, “He’s not here today.”

“Really?” Maybe Keith should’ve responded to his text… 

“Yeah. Dunno why though,” Pidge finished organizing the mallets and moved on to grabbing their bag and getting ready to find their brother. 

“I think I know.” Keith face-palmed as soon as he said it, coming to the realization that he’d have to explain to Pidge that he didn’t respond to Lance’s text. 

“Why?”

“Maybe it’s because I didn’t respond to his text on Friday…”

“What? Why didn’t you?”

“I dunno. I was pretty mad about the whole thing.”

“Well you probably should soon. He won’t talk to you until he knows you’re not mad anymore, that’s just how Lance works,” They slung their backpack over one shoulder and left, but not before mentioning the after-school rehearsal that started in ten minutes. “We’re just going over the music in here today. Hope you can make it!” The door swung closed with their departure, leaving Keith alone in the band room. 

K: meet me behind the school in ten minutes

L: why ;)

K: just do it

Fifteen minutes later, Lance was late. Keith had his drum on and was waiting outside the school. He checked his phone again to confirm that Lance was now five minutes late. He shoved his phone in his pocket, hoping Lance would show. He glared up at the sky, which was relatively dark; it was likely going to rain soon. 

“Hey Kogane, how’s it going?” Lance’s cocky personality had returned, signaling that he had probably already forgotten what had gone down last Friday. Keith hadn’t missed it one bit. 

“Let’s just get this straight, there’s going to be a battle of the bands with our rival school I guess and unless we get this marching thing down, we’re screwed,” Keith gave him a brief overview of what was happening, “Grab your flag because we’re going to get this sorted out.” Lance nodded, a sudden look of determination on his face. He didn’t want to fail Keith or the rest of the band. He was going to get something right for once. 

They walked to the field together, talking about the march-off and how awesome it would be if they won. Out of all the schools Keith had been to, not one had done a march-off. He was actually quite anticipating it. That is, if he and Lance could figure out what they were doing. 

“Okay, let’s just go through the first song slowly. You start and do everything you’re supposed to do while I play. We’re gonna figure out this problem,” Keith moved to the front of the field and Lance moved to the middle. Keith counted off and started playing, watching Lance move across the field. He was mesmerizing, flag twirling through the air and body flowing in perfect sync. “Okay! This is the part where we always mess up!” Keith yelled over his own drum playing, watching Lance carefully. He counted the number of steps he was supposed to be taking. One, two, three, four, and an extra fifth. “Stop!”

“What?” Lance set down his flag as Keith approached him.

“Do you always take five steps?” 

“Yeah, why?”

“Take four next time. Let's try that,” Keith moved to his own position and started the song again. He moved to his spot, nervously waiting to see if it would work. The part of the song grew closer, but Lance didn't. The removal of the extra fifth step kept him at a further distance, making it impossible for him to hit Keith.

“Stop!” Keith smiled.

“What now?”

“We just did it! You didn't hit me!”

“We did it!” Lance grinned and jumped up and down, doing a victory dance. Keith just watched him, smiling. Maybe Lance wasn't a complete asshole.

“Let's do it again!”

They did it twice more, and each time it worked. Keith didn't get hit with a flagpole again. 

“I think we got it,” the two started to walk back inside. 

“We did that! We just did that!” Lance was so proud of himself. He'd made Keith happy. 

“Yep.” The clouds chose that exact moment to release their rain, pouring down on the two.

“What the hell?” Lance looked up at the sky, but he was smiling. Keith was not. He started sprinting into the school, shouting something about how expensive his drum would be if it got wet. Lance chased after him, using his flag as an umbrella. Keith turned around to see Lance doing so, and stopped. He stepped under the flag-umbrella and continued walking, closer to Lance. “It's a genius idea isn't it?” 

“Sure,” Keith said it sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He was actually quite grateful to be out of the rain. His entire body was soaked, clothes clinging to his thin frame. He shivered while they walked.

“Are you cold?” Lance looked down at Keith and wrapped his unoccupied arm around the other boy in an attempt to keep warm.

“You're just as cold as I am. We both got soaked,” Keith looked at him with confusion, but didn’t move. Lance was warmer, for some strange reason.

“Does this mean you forgive me?” So Lance hadn't forgotten last Friday. The only reason he'd agreed to go to the practice session was to get Keith to forgive him.

“Yeah.” If he really wanted Keith to forgive him that badly, it was the least he could say.

The two walked inside, dripping water all over the floor in the band room. The slam of the door made everyone in Pidge’s practice session turn to look. Pidge themself immediately started laughing. Everyone else joined in but Shiro got up to help the two try to get dried off. It wasn't until Lance was led off to try and find some towels that he let go of Keith. 

<><><><><>

The rest of the week’s practices went great. By that Friday, Keith and Lance had their stuff together. They never bumped into each other after that Monday and were starting to genuinely work better together. They were finally warming up to each other, even becoming friends. 

Keith left the after-school practice group smiling. They had played the songs and then just had some fun and talked for a while. It was a nice change from the normal routine. So as he headed home, he thought everything was going to be fine for the rest of the day. And it was, until he went to his bedroom. 

Keith pulled the door open, intent on doing his homework in his room. The first thing he noticed was that his posters were removed from the wall. Then he noticed the brown cardboard boxes that covered the floor and walls. He frowned, understanding immediately what they meant was going to happen. He would be moving on to another foster home soon. He turned around, ditching the room and going outside. He needed a moment to think.

He didn’t know where he was going, but Keith needed to get out of there. He didn’t want to sit in his room and think about the boxes and how he would be gone soon, at a new school with a new family and a new set of students or about how he would have to say goodbye to his friends soon, even though he just met them. He contemplated texting them now and telling them, but the only number he had was Lance’s. He almost did text Lance but ultimately decided against it. 

When he returned to his foster home, Keith got a text from another unknown number. This time it was clearly marked as from Pidge though. 

P: it’s Pidge. we’re having a sleepover at my place tonite, u gotta come. Its tradition.

Keith looked it over and then looked around his room at the boxes. He wanted to get out of there. He nodded to himself and responded to the text immediately.

K: will be there, where do you live?

He got an address texted to him and he started packing a bag, but he stopped quickly. He’d never been to a sleepover. He had no idea what to bring to one. Obviously he’d need a pillow, some clothes for the next day, and other general essentials, but what else? He shoved his phone charger in the bag and snuck downstairs, grabbing snacks from the kitchen. He figured he was ready to go. 

After about ten minutes of driving around and searching for Pidge’s place, Keith finally found it and parked his motorcycle on the street outside. He was let in by Pidge and found that their house was quite small. The living room was filled with his friends, all of which were sitting on the couch and floor and watching a movie. It was crowded, but cozy. 

“Make yourself at home!” Pidge gestured to an open spot on the floor between Shiro and Lance. Keith threw his bag on the floor and sat down, taking a look at what movie they were watching. It was the newest Star Wars film, episode seven. He’d never seen it but decided to watch anyway. It seemed interesting enough. Until Lance spoiled the entire movie. 

“I still can’t believe he kills his dad! And then Rey almost kills him, but I saw the next trailer and he’s not actually dead,” Lance pointed at characters in the movie and Keith groaned. 

“Spoilers!”

“Wait, you’re telling me you’ve never seen this movie?” Lance gave him a puzzled look. 

“Yeah…”

“Dude!” Lance sat up and started talking about the characters and what was happening and who was who. He didn’t do a very good job at it, but Keith listened anyway, only semi-interested in what was happening. He didn’t stop talking until the movie was over and the credits had ended. Then he turned off the tv and decided they should do something fun. That’s when everything started going wrong. 

“We should play Spin the Bottle!” Pidge suggested.

“Nope! Nope! Not doing that!” Lance yelled it immediately, louder than he should have. “I mean, Keith’s here. If he wasn’t, well sign me up, but since he is… We should do something that doesn’t involve kissing.”

“I agree with Lance,” Keith said, “for the first and last time ever.”

“Come on! One round! Lance please!”

“Nope. Nuh-uh Pidge. Not today,” Lance shook his head.

“Lance! Lance! Lance! Lance!” Matt started the chant. The others soon joined in, all wanting to see Lance embarrassed. Keith did too, watching Lance’s face turn bright red amused him. 

“Fine!” Lance shouted it way louder than he needed to, finally caving under the peer pressure. “But only one round!”

Pidge grabbed a bottle from the kitchen and the group sat in a circle around it. Lance gave it a spin and squinted his eyes shut, not wanting to see who it landed on. Keith was curious though, and watched the bottle spin to a stop, right in front of him. 

Immediately the dark-haired boy’s face flushed a bright red and he stood up. “Absolutely not!” He was going to get out of there. 

“Come on Keith!” Pidge and Hunk grabbed his ankles, preventing him from leaving. “It’s just Lance!”

“Exactly!”

At this point, Lance opened his eyes and saw what was going on. He sighed, knowing he was going to have to do it at one point. He stood up and made his way to Keith, his face burning scarlet. He grabbed Keith’s hand and bent down to kiss it. It was incredibly awkward and he felt like he’d done it a second too long, but when it was over he sprinted to the bathroom, shouting something about how he needed to wash his mouth with bleach. 

Everyone laughed, except Keith. He was sitting on the floor now, awkwardly trying not to blush. The rest of the group was yelling things along the lines of “Oh they’d make a great couple!” or “I ship it!”

“Okay!” He silenced the group, “I think it’s Shiro’s turn.” He grinned at Shiro, who immediately blushed and glared at him. 

“Nope! It’s time to sleep! We’ve had our fun but we have the battle of the bands tomorrow and everyone needs to be well-rested!” Shiro stopped the game in his usual dad-like fashion. Everyone groaned but no one objected, knowing he was right. Lance came back and shut off the lights, laying on the ground next to Keith. The two were both too embarrassed to say anything. 

After an hour or so, Keith still couldn’t fall asleep. He was wide awake and didn’t see sleeping anywhere in his near future. The house was pitch-black except for the stars out the open window. He rolled over a few times, trying to get comfortable, but there was only so many ways one could sleep on a floor. 

He ended up staying awake all night and was incredibly tired the next morning when everyone else woke up and they ate breakfast. Pidge’s mom made them pancakes and they ate, talking about the battle that was going to happen that night. 

“We’re going to kick their asses!” Lance stood up and shouted.

“Yeah!” The rest of the group cheered. They were all very excited. 

Eventually, everyone went home for the day, promising to meet up before the game started. Keith hopped on his motorcycle and went back to his foster home, thinking about the night before. He wished he could do that every weekend. He also wished he’d had friends earlier, young Keith would’ve loved that. He got back to the foster home and slept on the couch all day. 

<><><><><>

That night the band room was electric. Everyone was talking more than usual and they were hyped. A group in front was practicing their routine, a group in back was taking bets on who would win. Keith and his friends were putting on their uniforms and talking about who would win. 

“Okay guys, who brought the goods this time?” Hunk asked the question that puzzled Keith. Did he accidentally fall into a group of drugged teens?

“Me!” Lance pulled a bag out of his band locker, holding it up for the group to see. It was a Ziploc bag full of Kit-Kats.

“Sweet!” Pidge reached into the bag and grabbed one, followed by the rest of the group. Keith just watched them, clearly confused.

“What are you doing?”

“Pre-performance ritual. We try to do it every game, but Hunk forgot them last time,” Pidge side-eyed her friend from a distance and he turned red, pausing his candy feast, “Grab one!”

“Okay,” Keith reached into the bag and unwrapped the candy, putting it into his mouth and eating it, “is that it?”

“Yep. This isn’t a real creative group,” Allura chuckled as she tossed her wrapper into her locker and the rest of the group got ready to go outside. The nervous vibes were starting to become even more apparent in everyone. They were trying to make conversation, but it came out as forced and fast. 

“I still can’t believe they wouldn’t give us our own performance time! They just had to cram us into the football game… We could do better!” Matt made small talk as they found their seats on the bleachers, all sitting together as a group. It seemed that he wasn’t the only one who was worrying. 

As Keith looked around, he found that the rest of the band seemed on edge. Lance was pulling at his flag, Pidge was tapping their fingers together, Allura was biting her lip. The whole group, and even the whole band seemed incredibly nervous. He had to admit, he was too.

After a long while of waiting, the group was up. They were performing first. They marched out to the beating of the drums and stood in beginning formation. Keith was determined to not mess up as the first song began and everyone began moving in an organized chaos. Back and forth, forward and backward, they crossed the field with instruments gleaming in the lights. He was lost in his music, but still aware enough to glance around and see how everyone else was doing. He had never been more proud to be a part of a band. 

As the part with Lance approached, Keith turned around and smiled at him. Lance grinned back, his eyes shimmering. He was definitely wearing makeup, but he didn’t look bad. The two stood near each other and Keith didn’t get hit once. After the part was over, Keith began to back away and Lance turned to look at him with an open-mouthed grin. They had done it. 

But would it be enough to win? 

The next song came and went, going flawlessly. Keith’s adrenaline was kicked into high gear and he felt like everything was going on fast-forward. The song ended before he even knew it and they marched off the field, finding their way to behind the bleachers. 

“I would call that a success!” Mr. Coran cheered as the rest of the group applauded themselves. They continued to cheer as they returned to the stands, nervously awaiting the next group. 

“How are they going to be? Do you know?” Lance was asking everyone around him the question, starting to get nervous again now that the adrenaline was wearing off. 

“I don’t know Lance, for the fifth time,” Keith chuckled and took his seat, watching as the Galra High School band marched onto the field. They were a sea of dark purple and black, a large contrast from the deep blue and red uniforms the Garrison students wore. Even the Galra colorguard wore dark suits and spun tattered black flags. 

Lance didn’t like them one bit. “Those uniforms are awful…”

 

“Shhhh! They’re starting!” Shiro quieted him as the drummer counted off their first tune and they began to move. They zig-zagged across the field in sharp positioning that made Keith nervous. If this was what they started with, what else did they have in store?

The band formed a diamond and continued to cross the field, but they were lacking something. Keith couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but something was wrong. He looked over at the others to see what they were thinking. Shiro and Allura both clearly knew there was something up too; the confused looks on their faces said it all. Pidge was anxiously watching with a concerned look on their face and Hunk was doing the same. Matt and Lance were both completely enthralled though. Lance’s eyes were wider than normal and Keith couldn’t tell if it was because he was impressed or worried. He turned back to the colorguard and watched them, moving with exact precision and timing. That’s when it hit him what was wrong. 

The Galra students were like robots. They had no personalities of their own, only moving like puppets on a string. Their faces conveyed no expression and their eyes were lifeless, like they were running on empty. They moved with no energy, marching well but marching bored. 

Their routine ended and Keith probably couldn’t name a single song they played. The group was talented, he would give them that, but they were forgettable. Their music was relatively bland and they’re marching was tired.

“Did you guys get that feeling too? Like they were, like, under control or something?” Matt was the first to say something as the group marched off and the audience applauded. 

“Yep. You weren’t the only one,” Keith turned back to the field, where Mr. Coran was announcing the voting process and people in the stands were filling out ballots. 

“Yeah,” Allura responded at the same time as Shiro who proclaimed that they “have it in the bag!”

“Let’s just hope the audience noticed it too,” Pidge said it as the ballots were being collected and counted. The entire band was sitting on the edge of their seats now. They remained there for fifteen minutes while the ballots were being counted by parent volunteers. 

“Attention!” Mr. Coran finally ran back onto the field, shouting into a microphone way louder than he needed to, “we have a winner!” The crowd gave a half-hearted cheer, clearly not caring who actually won. A parent sprinted onto the field, handing the band director an envelope. He paused, “Drum roll please!” Keith rolled on his drum, loudly so everyone could hear. 

“And the winner is…” The group sat on edge, awaiting the news that Mr. Coran kept from them as he struggled to open the envelope.

“My school, Garrison High!” Mr. Coran bounced up and down happily as the band erupted in happy cheers. They were successful! They had done it! The Galra kids booed, but they were drowned out by all the yelling.

Lance screamed like a little child, hugging every one of his friends and cheering. He even hugged Keith, who stood awkwardly, not used to touching. It wasn’t bad though. Lance was warm and the night air was cold, so it even felt nice. Keith could get used to this. But it was over too soon and Lance had moved on to the next friend. 

“Wait a second, what did we even win?” Keith was the first to ask the question that, surprisingly, no one else had asked yet. 

“I dunno, bragging rights or something,” Pidge had to yell it over the crowd, which was beginning to calm down as the football game resumed. 

<><><><><>

The game ended in a crushing defeat of the Galra team, 40-26. The friends had stayed behind to watch the game, but ended up talking the whole time anyway. None of them seemed to care about football in the slightest.

“Well, I’ll see you guys on Monday!” Keith waved to the group as he left, turning towards his motorcycle. But he was stopped by something in his way, or someone. It was a tall boy, probably Keith’s age, with long hair and a pointed nose. 

“Where are you going?”

“Trying to get to my bike. Move,” Keith didn’t want any trouble, but this boy seemed too. He was likely from Galra High since Keith had never seen him before. Probably just a band kid, bitter about their victory. 

“I’d rather not,” the boy smirked before swinging at him, luckily missing but only by an inch. 

“Guys!” Keith yelled for his friends as he punched the kid in the stomach, making him bend over, gasping like the air was taken out of his lungs. If this kid wanted a fight, he was going to get one. The boy cursed at him before yelling something over his shoulder. As if out of the shadows, four women appeared behind him and he stood again, smirking darkly. Keith was outnumbered, or so he thought.

“Get off him!” Lance’s voice came from somewhere behind him, managing to sound menacing despite the fact it was Lance. Keith turned to see his friends, ready to defend him. But when he took his eyes off the other students, he immediately got shoved by the nearest girl, a tall and thin one with short hair. He hit the ground with a deafening crack that he was certain was his head colliding with the pavement, but it immediately went numb so he wasn't sure. The girl towered over him, stepping on his stomach and pinning him to the ground. His vision began to get fuzzy on the edges but he could still see what was happening around him. 

Shiro lunged for the boy with the long hair, the two attempting to punch each other. They were equally matched and couldn’t hit each other though. Hunk took on one of the girls with help from Pidge, the two backing her against a tree. Matt grabbed another girl, slapping her across the face. Allura got the last, going for her. Lance stayed back to help Keith, shoving the girl away from his friend and engaging in a fist fight. Things were looking good for the Garrison kids, who had the other group surrounded. 

Until the girls got away. The one surrounded by Pidge and Hunk spun around the tree, using her arms to propel herself away from their grasp and behind the tree, sprinting away from them and cackling to herself. The one Matt was fighting ducked and his punch missed, throwing him off balance. She disappeared back into the dark shadows. The one Allura was attacking was large and muscular, shoving her out of the way quickly. Last, the one Keith and Lance had surrounded sidestepped them, doing a front handspring and running away. 

The boy Shiro was battling spun in a circle, momentarily distracting Shiro while he sprinted into the shadows, yelling behind him, “I wouldn’t go out alone if I were you!” Shiro frowned, shrugging and turning around. 

“Really? All over a dumb band battle? Kids these days…” He face-palmed and shook his head. 

“You’re only eighteen, Shiro,” Hunk chuckled a little, trying to avoid the fact that they had almost gotten beaten up. The rest of the group laughed half-heartedly; Allura’s hair was ruffled, Matt had a bruise blossoming on his cheek and a deep scratch on his knee, and Keith was still out of breath. 

He started walking towards his motorcycle, waving to the group, “See you guys on Monday?”

“Bye!” The rest of the group waved back, walking to Allura’s mini-van in the dark. They got in and drove away, honking at Keith for good measure. He watched them go, sitting on his bike in silence with a little smile. 

The wind picked up slightly as the parking lot went silent, Keith being the only one left. The dark was cold and unwelcoming, clouds blocking the stars from view. He shivered, suddenly feeling like he was being watched. He started his bike and sped away, turning to look behind him only once.

The fight had shaken him more than he’d like to admit.


	3. 2:00 AM and It's Side-Effects

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is rudely awoken and everything begins to spiral out of control.

2:00 A.M.

Keith was still awake, staring at the ceiling in the darkness of his bedroom. His mind was churning with thoughts of that night and performing and fights. He thought of Lance and his smile, which had suddenly become less irritating. It wasn’t irritating at all, actually. 

Wait, _what?_

Keith pushed away his thoughts and instead thought about the fight. It had only lasted a minute or two, but it was a mess and somehow he thought it was his fault. If he’d just ran away from the gang when he saw them coming, they wouldn’t have had to fight, but _no_ , he just _had_ to go on instinct and mess with them… 

His phone rang. 

“What the heck?” Keith rolled over and picked up his phone, which blared chill music into the empty night. He read the caller identification: Lance McClain. He picked up immediately.

“Hello?”

“Pidge?” Lance’s voice came through the other end softly, uncharacteristically somber.

“No? It’s Keith, Lance are you alright?”

“Shit, dude I meant to call Pidge.”

“Where are you?”

“At the park, I’m fine though, you can hang up now,” But Keith was already down the stairs, pulling his jacket over his pajamas and shoving his boots on while he sprinted to his bike. Lance was not fine. 

“I’m not hanging up Lance, what happened to you?”

“Nothing,” there was a rough cough from the boy on the other end that made Keith wince and go faster, starting his bike and speeding down the dark streets. 

A minute later and Keith was still on the phone, trying to keep Lance talking as long as he could by asking simple questions and pretending to be interested in the answers. He stopped at the park, which was lit by a couple of street lamps. He parked his bike and got off, bolting into the park and looking in every direction for Lance. 

“Lance, what part of the park are you at?”

“Keith, was that your bike I just heard?”

“Lance! Where are you?” A soft groan was heard from one direction that echoed through the phone. It was Lance. Keith hung up without another word and walked in the direction of the sound, very worried now. If Lance was out there somewhere, and he was hurt, Keith had to help him. 

“Keith?” He looked down to see a boy laying on the pavement of a walking path, beaten and bleeding. Upon further inspection, it was Lance, whose face was swollen with bruises and arms and legs were bleeding. 

“Oh my god Lance!” Keith bent down and looked at the other boy closely, inspecting his injuries and trying to remain calm. “What happened to you…”

“You know how that gang from earlier said to not go out alone? Well, I did.” Lance attempted to sit up only to end in a moaning lump on the ground. 

“Dammit, Lance,” Keith sighed, “what am I going to do with you?”

“Maybe call Pidge, they’d know what to do?”

“Why don’t we call your parents or something, they’d be able to fix you up,” Keith pulled out his phone, only to have it weakly grabbed from him by Lance. 

“Don’t call my mom,” he said it with a firm and stern tone that must’ve hurt to evoke because he immediately hit the ground again groaning in pain. 

“Okay…” Keith was curious as to why, but first he’d have to help Lance. “Why don’t we take you to my place?”

Lance’s eyes seemed to light up a bit and he nodded slowly. “How are we gonna get there?” Keith bent down and scooped him up bridal-style, carrying him back to his motorcycle. He propped him on the seat gently.

“You’re going to have to hold on, but I’ll try to drive as smooth as I can,” Keith moved to sit in front of him, starting the motorcycle without another word. Lance snaked his hands around Keith’s waist, trying not to blush, and tightened his grip as they drove through the night back to Keith’s foster parents’ home. 

They stopped in the driveway and Keith hopped off, picking up Lance again and going inside silently. He walked through the living room and dropped Lance off at the kitchen table, using the lone light of a lamp to guide him. 

“Do you know anything about first aid?” Keith said it quietly as he searched through the cabinets in the kitchen, trying to find bandages and medicine. 

“Nope,” Lance whispered back, trying to get comfortable in the chair. Every part of him ached and he could barely breathe without wheezing and coughing violently. He didn’t tell Keith this though, the other boy was worried about him enough. 

“Me neither,” Keith set a first aid kit on the table and sat next to Lance, opening it and looking at the contents nervously. He had no clue what half the objects inside were for and by the look on Lance’s face, he didn’t either. He pulled out a box of band-aids and got to work, attempting to cover every open wound on Lance, who winced every time one touched him. 

“So,” Lance paused, trying to think of a way to start a conversation, “how’s it going?” He spoke softly, catching the attention of the concerned boy across from him.

“Fine,” Keith muttered it as he continued to cover Lance’s wounds, scattering band-aid wrappers across the floor with his quick movements. 

“That’s good,” Lance nodded, though it hurt him to do it and Keith could tell. The two descended back into awkward silence once again, Lance flinching every few moments and Keith hurrying to get all of the wounds covered. 

“Okay, I think you’re good,” Keith moved back to examine his work, looking the other boy up and down before moving to clean up the packaging that littered the room. Lance tried to help him, but just put himself in more pain, stopping and rubbing his head. 

“I should probably head home,” He attempted to stand and moved across the room slowly, limping and listing to one side dangerously. 

“No!” It came out louder than Keith intended and his face immediately turned a bright shade of scarlet. He looked at the floor, but could feel Lance’s eyes fall on him. “I mean, I wanna make sure you’re alright. You should stay here.”

“Okay.” Keith didn’t believe his ears, looking up at Lance quickly. His annoying rival from band class was agreeing to spend the night with him? “Just lemme call my mom quick,” Lance pulled out his phone, calling his mom while Keith went back to cleaning.

“Hey mom!” 

Keith could hear the yelling from the other end of the phone from his spot all the way across the kitchen. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine! I’m just spending the night at a friend’s house.”

“What friend? Oh, his name is Keith. Yes, the Keith from band. No, I don’t hate him anymore!” Keith chuckled under his breath as he watched Lance blushing.

“Come home? Mom, it’s 2:00 in the morning! I’m staying the night here!”

Silence.

“What do you mean lose the car for a week? I need to get to school!” Lance looked nervously at Keith, who shrugged. 

“I could give you a ride to school?” He didn’t know where the thought came from, but it spit out of his mouth before he could take it back. 

“Really?” Lance covered the phone and grinned before picking it back up and continuing the conversation with his mom, “Keith’s gonna take me to school on that week so I’m fine! Good night!” He hung up and dropped back into his chair with a dramatic sigh. He turned to Keith, “This better be the best damn sleepover of my life.”

“Yeah sure,” Keith rolled his eyes, “You’re going to bed and so am I.”

“ _Really?_ ” Lance was back to normal in an instant, a whine in his voice. Keith gave him a small smile and walked over, picking him up like a child and carrying him upstairs. 

“Nice bedroom.” Lance got tossed onto Keith’s bed and immediately made himself at home, shimmying under the blankets and occasionally wincing in pain. 

“Thanks,” Keith looked around, remembering that the boxes were still there. He tried to ignore them as he sat on the bed next to Lance.

“What are the boxes for?”

“Nothing.” Keith shot him a serious glare. It was the end of that conversation. 

The two sat in quiet for a minute before Keith got up and opened one of the boxes, pulling out a pair of his pajamas. He started to put them on, removing his t-shirt. Lance covered his eyes, “I’m blind!”

“Shut up,” A pair of pants were flung in Lance’s direction, hitting him square in the face. He pulled them off and watched Keith, his face turning red. 

“Where are you gonna sleep?” Lance asked, realizing for the first time that he was in Keith’s bed. He, Lance McClain, was going to be sleeping in Keith Kogane’s bed. His face turned even more red at the thought. 

“On the floor.” Keith opened the closet and pulled out a few spare blankets, tossing them on the ground and organizing them so he could sleep. 

“I kinda feel bad for taking your bed, but then I remembered that it’s yours and didn’t feel bad anymore.” Lance got a pillow thrown in his face at this remark. 

Keith stood from his makeshift bed and turned off the lights, “Goodnight Lance.”

“Night Keith,” Lance rolled over in bed and yawned. Keith’s bed was really comfortable…

<><><><><>

“Lance, get up!”

Lance didn’t open his eyes, instead rolling over and trying to fall back asleep. He was in the middle of a weird dream where he was at Keith’s house and they were having a sleepover…

 

“Move your ass!”

Lance rolled back over and groaned, opening his eyes. Keith stood over him, glaring. It wasn’t a dream. 

“No! Let me sleep!” 

His blanket was pulled to the floor by Keith, who said nothing more but left the room and took the blanket with him, slamming the door for good measure. If he wanted the blanket back, he’d have to get it for himself.

Lance groaned and tried to stand, forgetting how much pain he was in. Shock shot through his legs and he immediately collapsed back onto the bed, rubbing his sore muscles. Every part of him hurt more than yesterday, but he forced himself to stand again, working his way out of the room and down the stairs slowly.

Keith laid across the couch in the living room, a blanket tossed lazily on him and a smirk on his face. He was still in his pajamas and his hair was thrown around in a messy style. Lance shot him the middle finger, which he returned instantly. 

“What is there to eat in this place?” Lance wandered into the kitchen and Keith followed, getting off the couch and frowning. He felt no sympathy for Lance now, he just wanted the obnoxious boy out of his house. 

“Nothing, we’re taking you home right now.”

“Really?” Lance gave him a pouting frown, trying to look as innocent and adorable as he could. 

“Yep.” Keith dragged him into the living room and out the front door, grabbing his shoes and sweatshirt on the way out.

“We’re taking his motorcycle?” Lance shot him a look of disgust as the dark-haired boy started his bike. 

“You didn’t have a problem with it last night.”

“Last night I was halfway to death’s door,” Lance complained, but he still walked towards Keith’s motorcycle, pulling himself over it and sitting on the seat. 

“And your point is?” Keith jumped on in front of Lance, starting the bike and driving down the streets. Lance grabbed his waist, making him shift in an uncomfortable manner. He wasn’t used to touching, but he found he didn’t mind it much. 

After twenty minutes of driving in circles and bickering about directions, Lance’s house was finally found. It was a big house with two stories and a long driveway. Keith pulled in and stopped his motorcycle, hopping off. 

“See ya, Keith,” Lance got off too, walking to the front door and knocking. Keith turned back around, getting ready to leave, but he heard a shriek behind him. 

“Lance is home!” A little boy, no older than eight, sprinted out of the house and hugged his big brother. Two more little siblings of Lance shot out of the door too, tackling their big brother in hugs. Keith chuckled as they pulled Lance to the ground. One turned and looked at the sound, his eyes landing on Keith and growing big. 

“Who’s that?” The other kids noticed him too. 

“That’s just Keith, don’t talk to him or his evil mullet powers might kill you!” Lance laughed as the three children tentatively walked up to Keith. They gasped at his statement, like it might be real. Keith just rolled his eyes, trying not to smile now. 

“Get him!” One of the girls ran up to Keith, punching him with her little fist. “Evil!” The others followed, forming a circle around the older boy and attempting to beat him up. Lance just cackled from the front porch, watching Keith’s awkward expression. 

“Okay guys, let him go now. He’s invincible and can’t be hurt by your feeble attacks,” Lance finally came to help his friend, pulling the small children off of him. 

“Why do you do this to me?” Keith gave him a playful glare before getting on his bike and starting it with a roar that sent the children screaming. 

“Say bye to Keith, guys!” Lance waved as Keith disappeared down the driveway, refusing to wave back. The kids just whispered among themselves about evil mullet powers and how to tell if one of them had been corrupted. 

<><><><><>

200 notifications.

Keith looked at his message icon in surprise. He had 200 notifications.

“What the heck?” He opened the app, noticing all the notifications were from one group chat.

Group Chat: Lance is the Best

He scrolled through the endless sea of messages, occasionally pausing to read part of a conversation, then continuing to scroll. Lance had made a group chat with all his friends, apparently it wasn't the first. The chat had gone through the usual introductions and stupid comments before becoming a spam of memes and inside jokes that Keith didn't understand. He finally got back to the present, where the group was still texting.

Keith: what the heck I have 200 notifications from this chat

Lance: nice of you to finally join us 

Hunk: oh hey Keith

Pidge: hey

Lance: and your welcome for the notifs 

Keith: f u

Lance: :(

Keith: so what's this for?

Lance: I dunno 

Keith: so it's useless

Keith figured that there was a reason behind it. He would place his bets on the mistaken call of the previous night. Lance probably wanted a place to communicate with all of his friends at once, in case something happened again.

Pidge: essentially

Hunk: but it's fun

Lance: yeah!

Matt sent an image

Matt: like that ;)

Pidge: bro what the heck

Lance: wut is that

Hunk: my innocence is gone

Keith: wtf

Shiro: what is going on here

Allura: who knows

Lance: hey the squads all here

Pidge: finally

Lance: did anyone else notice they both got here at the same time

Lance: what were they doing ;)

Shiro: lance what the heck

Allura has left the chat

Allura has been added to the chat

Lance: nope no escaping it

Allura: ugh

Keith: is this all that ever happens in these things

Lance: yep

Pidge: yes

Hunk: yeah

Keith: okay…

The conversation began again but Keith shut his phone off and pulled his legs onto his bed, tossing himself back into a laying position. He couldn't stop thinking about the previous day and Lance. The events of 2:00 AM played through his mind on a loop. It was the first time he'd ever seen Lance like that. It was the first time he'd ever seen Lance with anything but an annoying personality, and he didn't mind it. He liked the Lance that wasn't constantly making bad jokes or acting cocky. 

Keith rolled over, still thinking about Lance. He couldn't help but feel glad that he was friends with the boy, but he had another feeling when he thought of Lance too. It was a nervous feeling, like his stomach was doing flips. He pushed it aside though, not understanding the new feeling. He shoved his face into his pillows and groaned loudly. 

Why Lance McClain…

<><><><><>

“You guys wanna see the video my mom got from the performance?” The group sat in a circle on the floor in the band room, watching Hunk’s phone and eating pizza. The room was warm and loud with students sitting on the floor and talking. Mr. Coran had declared a victory pizza party and the band had gathered in the band room. 

The video came to an end and the group cheered jokingly, Lance knocking over a piece of pizza and shouting, “We did fantastic!” He elbowed Keith, who was sitting next to him. Keith just laughed and the rest of the group continued to eat, chatting. 

“So how’d you guys’ weekends go?” Hunk finished another slice, leaning against the wall behind him and relaxing. He crossed his legs and looked at around at the group. 

“Pretty uneventful other than the game,” Lance spoke first, “a lot of sleeping and chilling.” Keith gave him a look of suspicion. Did he forget what happened Saturday? How could he?

“Lance? We had a bonding moment dude!” His voice cracked a bit, but he ignored it. He was genuinely hurt that Lance was blowing off their sleepover; he had thought it meant they were friends. 

“Nope!” Lance shook his head quickly, but he was smiling, “Don’t remember it!” 

“What’s he talking about?” Hunk finally asked the question the rest of them were thinking, but was ignored by Lance and Keith, who started to bicker like an old married couple. They shouted back and forth until Hunk just shrugged and turned to talk to Pidge, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get the boys’ attention.

“Okay guys! One quick announcement before class ends!” Mr. Coran shouted, stumbling his way through the hoards of teens who laid across the floor. “As you all know, our next performance is Friday. What you don’t know is that I have decided to give us a challenge and add a third song to our performance lineup!” He went on to explain the song in-depth, giving a name and a general idea of the choreography. When he was finished the band cheered, excited at the idea of a challenge. 

The bell’s ringing mixed with their yells as school ended and the students filed out of the room. Keith was determined to get an answer out of Lance so he followed him. “Hey Lance!”

Lance spun around, “What now?”

“What was that back there? You remember Saturday don’t you?” Keith had gone from mad to pleading, now questioning if Lance really didn’t remember it. Maybe he had gotten hit harder than he’d thought. But then Lance smirked and all his fears were diminished.

“Nope,” Cocky Lance was back for good. “No idea what you’re talking about!” 

“You’re impossible.”

“Yep!”

Keith walked out a side door, avoiding Lance and getting ready to head home. He got all the way into the parking lot when he remembered he had offered to transport Lance for the week. 

“Ughhhh,” He spun back around to find Lance right behind him. That just made him groan louder. 

“I see someone’s glad to see me,” Lance got on the back of the bike, grinning mischievously while Keith started it and hopped on. Lance grabbed Keith’s waist and the two were off, speeding through the parking lot. 

As they were leaving, they passed Shiro and Allura, who were walking home together and holding hands. Lance hollered to them and they just rolled their eyes, but Keith avoided eye contact. His face was already heated from Lance holding his waist, he didn’t need Shiro bringing it up too. 

The ride to Lance’s was silent except for the wind blowing in their faces. Neither said a word but Lance held to Keith tighter than necessary. Keith didn’t stop him, though he wanted too. If it made Lance feel safe, it was okay with him. 

They arrived at Lance’s house quickly and with a quick exchange of goodbyes, the two parted. Lance disappeared into the house and Keith sat in the driveway a moment too long, lost in his own thought. He was supposed to be mad at Lance for the stunt he pulled earlier, but he couldn’t find it in himself. It was like he just physically could not be mad at Lance McClain.

He had no idea why. 

 

<><><><><>

The next day in band rehearsal, the band decided to play the new song. They had taken a vote to figure out if they wanted to learn the drill or play the song first and the playing won.

“Okay guys, that was a tad rough, let’s try it again!” Mr. Coran was clearly frustrated but tried to keep it under control, for the sake of the students. The first four times were awful so maybe five was their lucky number. 

Keith counted them in and the band began again. The french horns played the wrong notes while the trumpets drowned them out and the cymbals crashed on the wrong beats. It was a disaster, to say the least, but it was already an improvement from the previous time and Keith almost had the song memorized already. The snare part was easy enough and he had phenomenal memorization skills. 

“Okay stop!” Mr. Coran stopped the group before it could get any worse, pausing to show the french horns their notes. While he spoke to them, Lance made his way across the room to where the drums were placed. 

“Hey mullet boy!” Keith just groaned in reply, ignoring Lance. The other boy tapped his drum obnoxiously, to which Keith ignored as well but moved the drum swiftly away from him. 

“Let’s run it again!” Mr. Coran started again, rubbing his mustache in irritation. The song started again, now with correct notes. It was starting to sound like a real band song and Keith was enjoying it. He listened to the rest of the band and played his part, even adding a few extra notes for fun. 

“Keeeeith…” Lance leaned against the wall of lockers behind them, talking over the band playing. He didn’t seem to care that Keith was trying to concentrate or that the rest of the band was playing music. “I’m so bored…” He didn't seem to notice that Keith was blushing either. The other boy was trying really hard not to look at him or say anything.

Keith finally turned to glare at him, missing a note or two and barely managing not to smile, then went back to playing. He couldn’t let himself be distracted by Lance. The song continued and the colorguard boy attempted to start a conversation many more times. 

Ignoring Lance was harder than it looked. Keith tried his best to focus on the music and listening to the rest of the band, but he was distracted. His mind kept wandering to Lance, who was still standing behind him and watching. Why wasn’t the boy doing something more useful, like practicing his routines or annoying someone else? Why wasn’t he playing an instrument? You had to play an instrument in band to be able to join colorguard, right? So what did he play… 

“Keith?” He was pulled from his thoughts by Mr. Coran’s voice. Keith looked up to see the entire band staring at him. “You’re playing the wrong part!” He gulped and nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the band. Mr. Coran just started the song again and Keith sent a glare in Lance’s direction. He was half-tempted to blame Lance for his mistake, but knew better than to argue with Mr. Coran.

The band ran through the song twice more before ending the rehearsal. As soon as they started to clean up, Keith turned on Lance, but Lance was nowhere to be seen. He had gotten bored with bothering his friend and had moved on to leaving early. He wasn’t needed for the rest of the rehearsal anyway. 

“Why is Lance so annoying sometimes?” Keith talked to Pidge as they put away the percussion things, reorganizing the cymbal shelf and moving the xylophones into the correct positions. They just smiled and rolled their eyes. 

“Don’t you mean all the time?”

“Yeah, but today he was extra annoying. He screwed me up a lot,” Keith moved to help them, taking a handful of mallets and putting them in the proper drawer. 

“He did that to everyone a couple months ago. When he started colorguard he didn’t realize it’d mean sitting around and waiting while the band learned the songs,” Pidge dropped a cymbal and it crashed to the floor and rolled away. They chased after it, sprinting past Keith and muttering curses. When they finally caught it, they continued, “At this point, getting yelled at for something Lance is doing is an initiation to the group.”

“That’s a pretty dumb initiation.” The two walked out of the band room together, trading stories about how annoying Lance was. 

“There was this one time where me, Hunk, and Lance were partners in a chemistry project and he almost blew up the lab! We failed the project and Hunk and I were mad at him for a week straight, but it’s Lance I guess. What could we do about it?” Pidge gestured while they talked, pointing at things that weren’t really there. Keith chuckled and the two arrived at the parking lot, where the rest of the group was waiting for them. Lance sat on Keith’s motorcycle, telling Allura something that made her turn bright red and slap him across the back of his head. Hunk, Matt, and Shiro were off to the side and one of them must’ve told a joke because their laughter could be heard from across the parking lot. 

“Hey guys!” Pidge waved to them and ran over with Keith behind them. They all stopped what they were doing and waved back.

“Hey Pidge and Keith, we were just trying to decide what we should do tonight. We’re all free and wanted to do something together.” Shiro talked as Keith shoved Lance off his motorcycle and took a seat. 

“We should do something fun,” Pidge stood next to Hunk now and the group had turned into a circle around the motorcycle, “anyone got ideas?”

“Yeah, I’m open to suggestions,” Shiro added and they all thought for a moment. 

Lance’s eyes suddenly went wide and he made a little squealing sound, “Me! Me! I have an idea!” He was practically bursting with energy. 

“What is it?” Shiro’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and he mentally prepared himself for whatever was about to come out of Lance’s mouth. The boy had had some strange ideas in the past. 

“How about mini-golf?” Lance bounced up and down in anticipation, hoping Shiro would say yes. 

“Does anyone else object?” Shiro looked around at the rest of the group, his eyes stopping on Keith like he knew the one that disliked Lance the most would say something. Keith just shrugged. “Mini-golf it is then!”

<><><><><>

“Why did I agree to this?” The game had just started and Keith was already complaining. Lance had scored a hole-in-one on the first hole, which he’d scored a three, and wouldn’t stop bragging about it. 

“I finally beat the almighty Keith Kogane at something!” Lance ran circles around him, laughing his ass off and taunting loud enough for the entire city to hear. 

“You do realize this is just the first hole right?” Allura stopped him in his tracks. 

“Yeah, but I’m just preparing him for what’s going to happen all night!”

“We’re only golfing for an hour Lance. It’s 4:30.” Allura rolled her eyes as she swung at her pink ball, hitting it directly into the first hole. 

The others took their turns and while he was waiting, Keith analyzed the next hole. His competitive side was not going to let Lance win this. He couldn’t put up with an entire night of Lance’s annoying laugh, even though it was more adorable than annoying. 

Lance went first, swinging at the ball and watching it roll short of the hole. He frowned in annoyance and moved to let Keith go next. Keith took a moment to look over the hole and placed his ball on the ground. If he hit the ball just right, he could do what he had in mind. 

He swung, hitting the red ball across the green and hitting Lance’s away from the hole. Lance shouted curses at him but the ball wasn’t done yet. It rolled right into the hole. 

“Suck it, McClain!”

“Shut up, Mullet!”

By the eighth hole, Keith was dominating the game. He had everyone beat by ten or more points, including Lance. Matt had lost his ball on the fifth hole so Pidge gave him theirs. Shiro was attempting to flirt with Allura, causing his focus to be very off. Allura was the closest to beating Keith, though she was still very far away. Hunk was just trying his best. But Lance, he was trying so hard and was so caught up in the competition that he wasn’t doing too well. He got easily distracted and, while he did have amazing aim, didn’t have the best strategy. He was so focused on knocking out Keith that he didn’t even try to get his ball in the hole. 

“This is going to be my best one yet, I can feel it!” Lance swung on the ninth hole, watching his blue ball bounce back and forth on the walls until it rolled into the hole. “Yeah! Beat that Keith!”

Keith groaned, walking up to the green and dropping his red ball onto it. He swung carefully but his aim was off. He missed the hole by mere centimeters. 

“Ha ha! That’s one more point for Lancey-Lance!” Lance danced around, shaking his hips and bouncing in a weird way. Keith could feel his face growing warm and he hated to admit it, but Lance wasn’t the worst dancer.

Until he fell in the lake.

 _Splash!_ Lance crashed backwards into the pond of blue water, screaming and flailing his arms wildly. He hit the water back first, completely submerging for a few moments. As he resurfaced and spat out water, Keith laughed hysterically. He cackled loudly, clutching his sides and shrieking. The rest of the group was laughing too, partially at Lance and partially at Keith’s ridiculous laugh. Pidge and Allura were catching it all on video. 

“I meant to do that!” Lance sat in the pool, trying to avoid the view of the cameras. Keith caught a picture though, a perfect shot of Lance sitting in the water, soaking wet. He snorted as he set the picture to his lock screen. Lance shouted to him, “A little help here!”

Keith set his phone on the grass and walked over to help Lance. He leaned over the lake and grabbed the wet boy’s hand, trying to pull him out, but Lance had other ideas. He tugged hard and pulled Keith in with him. Keith screamed as he was dragged into the cold water with his legs flailing behind him, cursing at Lance. The rest of the group shrieked with laughter now, snapping pictures with their phones. 

“No offense Keith, but your scream is hilarious!” Hunk chuckled from his spot across the green, where he had pulled out his phone and was now taking pictures. 

“I hate you!” Keith started splashing Lance violently but Lance splashed right back. The two were flinging water everywhere, sending Allura and Pidge running backwards and squealing. Keith kicked at Lance, hitting his legs and sending him under the water. He emerged quickly, determined to dunk Keith, who was much more agile and dodged out of his way. The two battled in the water, but both were laughing. It was a full-on water war when the manager found them. 

Shiro pulled the two from the water, repeatedly apologizing to the manager, something about his “immature friends”. The two were dragged out of the golf course, dripping wet and throwing insults at each other. 

“What was that?” Shiro crossed his arms and glared at the two as he let go of them and watched them stumble to the concrete in the parking lot, letting water drip from their clothes and form puddles around them. 

“Sorry Shiro,” the two responded in unison, used to their friend being the dad of the group. Pidge, Allura, and Matt watched from a distance, like siblings watching their brothers get in trouble. Pidge had a smirk on their face. 

“Yeah. Damn right you’re sorry!” Shiro frowned at them, but it was clear he was trying not to laugh. He spun around, shoulders shaking from laughter. “Get in the car!”

The group piled into Allura’s minivan, Allura herself driving, Shiro in the passenger seat, Hunk, Matt, and Pidge in the center row, and Keith and Lance shoved in the back. Allura complained about the two ruining her seats as they pulled out of the lot, driving down the road with the sun setting behind them. 

As they sat in the silence, Keith looked at Lance. Lance glanced at him before looking out the window like he had been doing for the last ten minutes. Keith felt his stomach flutter in the moment Lance had looked at him. He didn’t know what his he was feeling but he was certain his face was flushing red. Lance pulled his phone out his pocket. Water dripped out of the headphone jack and the entire device was coated in a layer of slimy water. He cursed loudly before pulling out a pair of equally-as-drenched headphones. He attempted to turn the phone on, resulting in a sputtering sound and flashing lights. He dropped it on the ground and sighed deeply. Keith went to reach for his phone, figuring it would be just as soaked. He patted his pockets and found them empty. “Shit.” He stuck his hands in the pockets of jacket and jeans suddenly recalling where he’d last had his phone. 

“Turn around.”

“What Keith?”

“I said turn around. I left my phone at the golf course!”

The group collectively sighed as the van pulled into a driveway and turned around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you didn't think this story could get any more cliche, it did. 
> 
> On a more serious note, I actually love the mini-golf scene and the whole 2:00 AM thing. I don't really know what else to say except that I'm a sucker for cute scenes.


	4. Sleep-Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleepovers, singing, and sadness. Sounds about right.

By the end of the week, the band had their final song perfected. They could move and play in perfect rhythm, never missing steps or playing out of tune. They knew what they were doing and did it well. So Mr. Coran decided to add some fun to the routine. “Okay students, so today I thought we could try something different with the song! We’re going to have some fun with our steps! This is supposed to be a fun song with rather loose choreography so enjoy it! Add some dance moves!” He spun in a circle, shooting finger guns at the group and grinning. The band nodded slowly before moving off to their formations for the song. 

Keith started the song like he always did. He backed into the line of colorguard members and did the routine. He didn’t need to make a fool of himself with “dance moves”. He looked over at Lance to see what he was doing. Lance was dancing to the music, shaking his hips and throwing in extra moves that weren’t part of the choreography. Keith smiled as the two formed a circle. 

“Come on Keith! Show me what you got!” Lance yelled over the music, showing off his dance moves and flexibility by throwing in high kicks. Keith just chuckled and avoided eye contact. Lance was actually kind of cute. 

The colorguard boy grabbed his arm and tried to get him to dance. Keith shook him off and continued to play, trying to hide his smile and blush, but Lance had other ideas. He grabbed his friend and started spinning him in circles. Keith refused to dance but Lance kept trying, pulling on his arms and trying to stop his sticks, which resulted in some very painful finger smashing.

Lance stepped on his flag and tripped, bumping into another drummer behind him. Keith laughed a little and moved on to the next step, separating from Lance and walking away. He looked up at the drum majors to find Shiro staring right at him. Shiro winked and Keith rolled his eyes, sending him the middle finger between drum movements and mouthing ‘Shiro what the hell!’

The song came to a stop and Mr. Coran started instructing again, flailing his arms and directing one of the trumpets to take a few steps over. Lance snuck up behind Keith and muttered something about how the trip was all part of his plan. 

“Yeah sure,” Keith said it sarcastically, but was still smiling. He was in the best mood he’d ever been and couldn’t stop smiling. It had something to do with enjoying playing in the band, but it also had to do with Lance. He still couldn’t believe the two had gotten choreographed to dance together for the new song. They had both groaned and bickered about it the first couple times, but had been enjoying themselves more and more with the recent practices. 

“Okay guys, starting positions! We’re running the whole show!” Mr. Coran pointed to the drum majors as the band scrambled across the field to their opening formations. The first song began and Keith played his best. He was starting to come out of his shell, spending less time playing in his own little world and more time listening to the rest of the world. He even noticed it in himself, smiling a bit to himself as he continued playing, backing up into a line with the colorguard. Lance was next to him, twirling and narrowly missing his hat with a flagpole. They didn’t need a repeat of the times when he didn’t miss. The song continued and ended, marking the start of the second song, which came and went faster than a blink.

Lastly, the third song began and Lance and Keith met in the center, circling and dancing. Lance was still putting his insanely choreographed extra moves into the fun parts and Keith was still trying not to laugh. He couldn’t remember the last time he had this much fun at any of his other schools. Lance’s face turned red as he passed Keith and the song ended with the two parting.

Eventually the rehearsal came to a close and the two walked back into the school with Hunk, Matt, and Pidge. They talked about the sleepover for that night, which would be happening at Hunk’s house this time. He had made special cookies, which everyone was excited for. Keith, who had never even had Hunk’s cooking, had heard it was legendary. 

“See you guys in a couple hours!” Keith put away his drum and walked out the back door with Lance on his tail. It was the last day before Lance would get his driving privileges back, meaning he would never have to bring the other boy places on his motorcycle again. He partially loved the idea of having his bike back to himself, but also knew he was going to miss his friend clinging to him as the wind tossed their hair and the two drove through the streets. He wasn’t going to let the thoughts ruin his mood though, so he jumped on the cycle with Lance and the two sped off in the direction of Lance’s house. 

“Wahoo!” Lance seemed happy too. He tossed a hand in the air, letting the wind tug it behind him, and shouted joyously. Keith didn’t take his eyes off the road, but grinned and shouted a cheer too. Lance laughed, “There we go! Mr. Grumpypants is finally lightening up a little!” Keith jerked the bike a little, shaking Lance who screamed and grabbed onto him. He just laughed more. 

The ride to Lance’s was shorter than Keith remembered, but it ended all the same. Lance got off the motorcycle and walked inside, waving. “See ya in a couple hours!” Keith waved before leaving in the direction of his foster home. He had to go pack. 

<><><><><>

“Keith! Nice of you to finally make it!” Hunk opened the door when Keith arrived and ushered his friend inside. He gave him a quick tour of the house, making sure to show him everything from the bedrooms to the basement. Hunk showed him the kitchen last, introducing him to his parents, who were setting the dinner table and preparing the meal Hunk had made for the group. “Guys, this is my friend Keith!”

Hunk’s dad shook Keith’s hand and grinned brightly. Hunk’s mom hugged him in a tight squeeze that would’ve made him uncomfortable had it come from anyone else. Both of Hunk’s parents seemed so nice and the similarity between them and their son was uncanny. He said his greetings and walked back into the living room, where the rest of the group was playing a video game. Matt, Pidge, Hunk, and Lance were playing while Allura and Shiro watched and tried to pretend they weren't cuddling. 

Keith took a seat on the floor and watched the four play their game. It was shooting game he’d never seen, but it was clear Pidge was winning. They screamed in triumph every time they killed one of the others, rubbing it in their faces with remarks full of sass.

When the round was over and Pidge had claimed their victory, Lance got off the couch and headed towards the kitchen. “Hey Hunk, what's for dinner?”

“Homemade pizza,” Hunk stood too and they all walked into the kitchen, where his parents were placing large pizzas on the table. They all sat and ate dinner together, which made Keith happy. It felt like dinner with a real family. 

“What should we do with the rest of our night? My first suggestion is another movie night,” Hunk looked around at his other friends. Pidge raised their hand like they were in school and he pointed at them, “Yes, Pidge?”

“Video-games!” They slammed one fist down on the table, shaking it slightly. Their voice rose in excitement. Hunk nodded in consideration and looked around at the rest of the table, open to more ideas.

“What if we just went to bed?” Shiro said it with no sign of sarcasm or joking, even though it was 6:30. 

“Good suggestion Shiro,” Hunk looked around, “Anyone else?”

“Isn’t there a park around here?” Lance said it between bites of pizza and attracted the attention of the rest. “We could go mess around there for a while, you know like play some games or something.”

“I second that idea!” Matt nodded eagerly from across the table, looking to Hunk for approval.

“You guys wanna go to the park?” 

“That sounds nice.”

“Why not?”

“Yeah!!”

So they finished dinner and went outside, walking as a group the park. It was a few blocks away so, to pass the time, Lance started singing songs. He belted out his favorite, Madeon’s “Nonsense”, and tried to get the rest to join in, but they all just laughed or ignored him. He continued to sing all the way to the park and by the time they finally arrived, Keith was getting ready to slap him.

“Finally! I thought we were never gonna get here!” Pidge glared a Lance jokingly before darting off towards the monkey bars. They darted up them faster than humanly possible and sat on top, watching the others below, “Who you calling short now?!”

“Still you!” Hunk chuckled as he walked under the bars and off towards the slides. Allura dragged Shiro past him and on the slides where they had a race while Lance hung upside down from the side of a platform with a ladder. Keith sat on the swings and watched everyone in amusement, noticing Matt sneaking up on his sibling.

 

“You guys know what we should do? A game of tag!” Matt appeared behind Pidge, tapping them on the shoulder before dropping through the monkey bars and taking off across the park, “You’re it!”

“Oh you’re gonna get it!” Pidge darted off after him and the game of tag officially began. They passed Hunk and tapped him on the arm, making him yell and dart after them, surprisingly quick for his size. Keith jumped off the swings and ran, hiding behind a tree as the game continued around him, his friends shrieking and sprinting in circles. He remained there for the majority of the game, not getting found until the very end.

“You’re it!” He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to find Lance behind him. The taller boy darted out of reach and sprinted away, cackling while Keith cursed and ran after him. He tapped Shiro as he passed and the game continued, ending with Shiro giving up after the rest hid from him.

“I give up guys!” Shiro raised his hands in the air and collapsed on the swings. It was dark now and hard to see anything, which made the game impossible to continue, “We should head back and sleep anyway!”

“Yeah, I guess it is time to go,” Everyone emerged from their hiding places, Pidge dropping out of a tree, Hunk’s head poking out of a tunnel, Lance stepping out from behind a slide, Matt and Allura walking out from behind the rock wall, and Keith sliding down a slide. The group reconvened and started the walk back to Hunk’s house. 

It didn’t take long for Lance to begin singing pop songs again, this time opting for “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk The Moon. Keith tried to stop him, threatening to slap him if he didn’t shut up, but Matt and Pidge joined in and soon the whole group was singing into the empty night streets, out of tune but happy. Shiro and Allura held hands and swung their arms while Lance danced ahead of the rest of the group, skipping down the sidewalk and laughing. The rest began to dance too, obnoxiously shouting the chorus. Lance turned back around and strolled up to the only member who wasn’t singing, Keith. He elbowed his friend and shouted at him to have some fun. When that didn’t work, he threw his arm over Keith’s shoulder and began dancing again. Keith just turned to him, blushing in the night. His stomach was doing turns again and his confusing emotions were resurfacing. 

“Come on Keith!” With that finally urge from Lance, Keith rolled his eyes and grinned before singing the chorus. Lance began to sing again and the two danced down the streets, continuing the sing-along all the way back.

The squad finally returned to Hunk’s place and put on their pajamas, rolling out sleeping bags and stretching out on the floor. It was only 9:30 but everyone was tired and they wanted to make sure they have a good night’s rest for the performance the next day, so they turned off the lights and went to sleep.

Snoring filled the room as Keith laid in the dark, unable to sleep. He didn’t have a reason as to why he was awake, but he was anyway. He was really tried but couldn’t get comfortable enough to sleep. He wanted to get up and go somewhere quiet. Hunk’s house had a lot of background noise, clocks ticking, refrigerators whirring, the tv upstairs blaring. After a while more, Keith sat up and checked to make sure everyone was asleep before slipping on his shoes and jacket and sneaking out the front door. 

He walked down the pitch black streets, noticing for the first time that there were no streetlights in Hunk’s neighborhood. He didn’t know the area that well either, but allowed his feet to lead him toward the park. Keith hummed softly to himself, letting out the melody that had been playing in his head since he and Lance had sung it on the way back. 

<><><><><>

The swings creaked under his weight as Keith found himself sitting on them. He popped an earbud into one ear and soft instrumental music came through, filling him with a sense of serene calm. He swung back and forth in the breeze, collecting his thoughts in his head. It was nice to have some time to think, for once. Keith thought about school and band and his friends. Those thoughts filled him with a warmth he didn’t get very often.

“Hey.” 

He was pulled from his trance-like state by a voice from beside him. Keith jumped in surprise and looked over to find Lance seated next to him. He was digging his toes into the sand beneath their feet and watching Keith with an unreadable expression. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Well I couldn’t sleep and I saw you get up…”

“So you followed me?”

“Yep.” Lance shrugged and kicked his legs, propelling himself backwards and forwards on swings. The metal chains shrieked in protest as he shook them and the crisp air bit at his face. Neither of the boys could think of something else to say; so they didn’t say anything. 

After twenty minutes, Keith was tired of the silence. He turned to Lance and immediately his voice caught in his throat. Lance was looking right at him with his blue eyes which reflected the moonlight perfectly. He had never realized how beautiful Lance was until this moment. The two just looked at each other, unable to pull their eyes away. 

“Tell me about something.” It slipped out of Keith’s mouth before he could stop it and Lance gave him a curious look. 

“Well, I’m a senior at Garrison High, I get decent grades I guess… Uh… I have three younger siblings. There’s something I can talk about! My family,” Lance smiled as he spoke about them and Keith could tell the other boy cared about them a lot. He talked about his little sister and her friends at school who seemed to come over every single day, then he talked about his two little brothers who always beat him in Nerf gun battles and his older sister, who was away at college but he couldn’t wait until she returned. The more he talked, the more his eyes lit up and his smile grew wider. When he was finished he turned back to Keith, “What about you?”

“Uh…” Keith searched for the right words to say and looked around, eventually mumbling something about how it’s too personal. Lance didn’t say anything for a moment, just nodding his head in understanding, which confused Keith. Why wasn’t the other boy making fun of him or letting out more cocky remarks?

“That’s fine. If you don’t wanna talk I won’t pressure you, but if you ever need someone to talk to you can come to me. I’m trustworthy. I won’t tell anyone you don’t want me to,” Keith was beginning to see the other side of Lance coming out again, the side he had seen at his house at 2:00 in the morning. He nodded softly, appreciating the words. Part of him wanted to get up and go back to bed but another part of him wanted to stay here and tell Lance something, anything.

“You’re… um… a really good dancer?” The comment came out awkward and uncertain. Keith blushed and put his face in one hand, knowing he blew it. Lance turned to him with a small smirk and questioning eyes and he knew the moment was over, but then the other boy began to laugh. It was a happy sound, more genuine and light-hearted than Keith had ever heard. It was so contagious that he joined in, rocking back and forth on the swing from laughing so hard. “That was the… dumbest thing… I’ve ever said!”

“But did you mean it?” Lance’s laughter died out and he looked at his friend with a hopeful smile. 

“Yeah…” Keith shrugged, still trying to laugh off his own stupidity. “Hey can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“What’d you used to play in band? Pidge said you were new to colorguard and I didn’t believe her, but that would mean you used to play something,” Keith blurted out the question spontaneously and started to ramble a bit. He looked over at Lance, who was still smiling but now it was softer, less wide and genuine.

“Do you just randomly think of this stuff?”

“Sometimes, yeah.” Keith blatantly stated the truth, shrugging a little but knowing it would be useless to try and lie.

“Okay then, I used to play snare,” Lance’s smile was gone now and he avoided eye contact, looking out across the park at the moon. His sad expression made Keith want to reach over and hug him. He had used to play snare? Why had he stopped? Keith’s mind whirred with questions, but it seemed as if Lance didn’t want to answer them. 

“Cool.” He rocked back and forth for a little while more before finally standing and looking back at his friend, “We should probably go back now.”

The two walked to Hunk’s house together, talking softly about random things like grades and band and video games. “What time is it?” Lance asked. Keith pulled out his phone and turned it on, squinting at the bright screen. It was 3:15. Lance looked over his shoulder and started laughing. 

 

“What?”

“Nice lockscreen!” Lance chuckled while Keith looked back at his phone, realizing in embarrassment that he still had the picture of Lance at the golf course as his lockscreen. He face was bright red and he was thankful for the dark, but he laughed too. They continue to walk, both smiling. 

In that moment of brief laughter, Keith made an important decision. He trusted Lance completely. That wasn’t it though, he also realized what the emotion was that made his stomach flutter at the mention of the other boy’s name. 

It was a crush, and a big one too. 

The two finally returned to Hunk’s house, entering through the back door and laying back on the floor with the rest of them. Lance moved his sleeping bag next to Keith’s and the two laid together, listening to the ticking of the clock on the wall and the fridge running in the kitchen and eventually falling asleep.

<><><><><>

“Pancakes! Come get ‘em!” The smell of pancakes was what woke Keith the next day, then Hunk’s yelling and the rest of the groups’ excessive scrambling to get food. Keith just sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, stretching his arms and neck after an uncomfortable night of sleeping on the floor.

“Nice hair,” Lance grinned at him as he walked past and into the kitchen. Keith just ignored the comment and followed, the scent of pancakes growing stronger. The rest of his friends were already seated at the table, except for Hunk who was wearing an apron and flipping in a pan. Keith pushed his hair out of his eyes and sat between Allura and Pidge, grabbing a pancake off the stack in the center of the table.

“We should hang out since we have a couple hours until the performance,” Pidge said it as the rest ate, “What should we do?”

“I dunno,” Lance shrugged and the rest agreed with him, except Allura. She spoke up quickly with her idea. 

“We should go drive into the city and go shopping!” She looked to the rest of the group for approval and they nodded at her. It wasn’t the best idea, but it was the only one so nobody objected. 

So there they were, climbing into Allura’s minivan an hour later. Keith moved to open the front passenger door, but Matt took it before he could. Pidge grabbed a seat in the second row and Hunk grabbed the other. Keith dove for the middle seat, but Shiro beat him to it, making him climb into the back with Lance. He was squished next to the other boy with the two back seats being the smallest. Shiro spun around and looked at the two, grinning at Keith. There’s no way he could know, right? 

Shiro winked. 

HE KNEW. Keith blushed and glared at his friend, gazing out the window to avoid Lance seeing his face. How did Shiro know?

The van started and they drove in the direction of the downtown part of their area. It was only a twenty minute drive from Hunk’s house, but the downtown city was completely different from their part. Skyscrapers stabbed at the clouds and cars honked as they grew closer. Downtown was a lot larger than their part of the city, and none of them really went to it that often. It was also a lot more expensive.

Lance grabbed Pidge’s phone, which had been blaring techno music out of the car speakers for the majority of the ride, and started playing a song. It was a techno song as well, not something Keith would have expected him to like, but it was a little bit too pop-like. As they neared the city, the song continued to play with a bass drop and some cheesy lyrics. 

“Where’d you even find this junk?” Keith attempted to grab the phone from Lance, who just pulled his arm out of reach. 

“This is not junk! I’ll bet all you listen to is edgy garbage!” Lance turned the song louder, singing along now. Keith just huffed to himself and crossed his arms, waiting for the song to be over. 

“He makes us listen to this every time we’re in the car,” Pidge looked back at him with no sympathy, “Even I know the words and this is way to cheesy for me.”

A quieter part in the song came on as the car went through a tunnel and finally pulled into the city, buildings towering above them and people filling the sidewalks. Keith looked over at Lance, who was still singing along. He looked at the phone in Lance’s hand and noticed the song was titled Nonsense. Made sense since that’s what the song sounded like to him, a bunch of nonsense.

After parking in a ramp, the group walked down the crowded streets, having no idea where to go first. They all looked around for stores they were interested in. Lance was the first to find one he wanted to go in. 

“Let’s go in there!” He grabbed the nearest hand, which happened to Keith’s. He dragged the other boy into the store, leaving the rest of the group behind. It wasn’t until they were in the center of the shop that Keith realized where they were. 

The Disney Store was bustling with little children pointing things out to their parents, who complained about how expensive everything was. A little girl tried on a dress in the corner and a teen was arguing with her mom about expensive art notebooks. Lance had chosen this store, out of everything downtown. 

“Why did you drag me here?” Keith was dragged to look at the Tsum-Tsum rack on the side of the room and realized he was still holding Lance’s hand. Neither let go as Lance started looking at all the little plushies.

“This store is amazing Keith!” Lance pointed at a couple he really wanted and specified which ones he already had, like he thought Keith would actually buy him one. Keith was tempted to buy one for the other boy, just to get out of there, but didn’t. 

“Can we go soon?” 

“No! Lemme look at the shirts!” Lance dragged him to the other end of the store, where all the clothing was placed.

“Then can we go?” Keith let go of Lance’s hand and looked at a rack of cheesy Disney shirts while Lance admired a couple of mugs on a shelf nearby. He watched Lance and smiled, enjoying seeing the other boy so happy, especially after the previous night and how serious he’d been when they talked. 

“I’m gonna buy this one,” Lance held up a shirt with a map of Disneyland printed on it. His smiled widely and held up a handful of Tsum-Tsums, “I’m gonna buy these too.” Keith just chuckled and the two got in line for the checkout, where Lance saw four more things he wanted and added them to his pile. 

When they finally got to the checkout, Lance had such a large collection of Disney merchandise that he had to have Keith hold some of it. They set it all of the stuff on the desk and the cheery Disney employee rang up Lance’s stuff with the signature cheesy Disney grin, “That’ll be $70.” Lance pulled out his wallet and started counting off money. 

“Wait a second, I only have $64,” Lance frowned before setting the money on the counter and turning to Keith with wide eyes.

“Nope.” Keith knew what the other boy was going to ask before the words even came out of his mouth and no matter how adorable and pleading Lance looked, he was not going to pay for Disney merch. 

“Pleaseeeee Keeeeeith,” Lance dragged the E’s and stuck out his bottom lip, making his eyes water with false tears. Keith tried really hard to avoid Lance’s gaze, looking at the floor. But then he looked back at Lance and gave in. He pulled out his wallet and handed the other boy six dollars, making him cheer. 

“Yay! Thanks Keith!” Lance handed the employee the money and she bagged all of his items while Keith muttered something about how his friend owed him. 

When they got outside, they found that most of the group was in the tech store across the street. Shiro had waited back for them and was leaning against the wall outside, tapping his prosthetic arm against the bricks and typing away on his phone. 

“Shiro! Look what I got!” Lance pulled his shirt out of the brightly colored Disney bags draped over one arm and showed it to Shiro, who just nodded in fake interest. It was clear he hadn't slept well the previous night either and he was very tired, but Shiro was always tired so nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Let's go find the rest of them,” Shiro crossed the street with the others trailing behind him, entering the tech store. Keith saw Pidge and Matt first. Pidge was gawking at the newest model of a drone in the front window while Matt was watching them with equal amount of interest. Hunk was inside, testing the newest brand of phone and asking an employee all sorts of questions that they couldn't even answer. Allura was watching a video about artificial intelligence at the other end of the store.

“This thing is nice!” Lance wandered off and found a new phone on display. He messed with the buttons and turned on the camera, snapping a bunch of pictures of himself, “I’m going to need a new one soon. Mine’s been screwed up since I fell in the lake.” 

“Why don't you get it?” Keith looked at another phone, a better version of his.

“Do I look like I’m made of money?” Lance laughed. Then his smile turned into a wicked grin as he pulled up YouTube on the phone, finding the most obnoxious song he could and clicking it. 

“It's Everyday Bro” by Jake Paul began to blare through the store at full volume. The phone was hooked up to the store’s speaker system so the song blasted in every corner of the store. Lance cackled and Keith looked at him in embarrassment, spotting a manager coming in their direction. 

“We need to go,” Keith grabbed Lance’s hood and sprinted out of the store, grabbing all of his other friends on the way out. 

Once they were safely down the street, where they could still hear the music, Keith let go of them and Pidge glared at Lance, “What the hell Lance? I wanted to buy something, but no, you just had to mess it up!” Lance was still laughing as they walked down the street, walking towards more stores and the center of the city.

<><><><><>

After going into a pet store, two different Starbucks, a sub shop, another tech store, and a video game shop, the friends found themselves in a bookstore. Keith had wanted to check it out and Shiro made the rest of the group stop to look at it.

“What time is it?” Hunk asked Keith as the two walked down another aisle, one with cookbooks. 

“Lemme look,” Keith pulled out his phone and looked at the time. 5:30. They had to be at the school and in uniform in ten minutes, “Fuck!”

“What is it?” Keith grabbed Hunk’s arm and started spouting cursed as he sprinted through the store, finding the rest of the group. He dragged Pidge, Matt, and Lance away from the manga section and Shiro and Allura from the little café in the corner of the shop.

“We have to be in the band room in ten minutes!” The others heard the news and darted out of the store, sprinting through the crowds and trying to find their way back to the parking garage.

“There it is!” Allura pointed to a ramp and the rest nodded, dashing into the ramp and skipping steps to the fifth floor, where they ripped open the car doors and dove inside. Allura pulled out of the parking ramp before Lance and Keith were even in the back seats, leaving them scrambling as the car spun and sped through the streets. 

For a moment the car was silent, everyone breathing heavily from the run. Adrenaline pumped through their veins and they all stared at the clock with wide eyes.

“We’re not going to make it!” Hunk checked the clock on his phone repeatedly as they drove, beginning to panic at the thought of being late to a performance. Mr. Coran had a very strict attendance policy and to be late was to be dead.

“Yes we are!” Allura put on an extra burst of speed, running a red light and sending cars behind her into a frenzy. Shiro, who had switched seats with Matt, put his hand on her shoulder. 

“No speeding! That’s illegal!” He gave her the Dad Lecture, which made her speed even more. She rolled her eyes at him playfully and they drove out of the city, approaching the school way faster than the legal speed. They were still minutes too late though. 

When they finally pulled into the parking lot, they were ten minutes late. Allura stopped the van into a no-parking zone and everyone piled out, barely shutting the car doors before sprinting into the school and entering the band room. 

Keith had no idea how they must’ve looked to everyone else, but he figured it wasn’t good. They burst through the doors of the band room, attracting way more attention than needed. Head turned and someone gasped. Mr. Coran, who had previously been saying something, slowly turned to them with a look of pure anger. His face turned red and he restrained a yell. 

Keith looked at threat of his friends, who were all trying to figure out what to do. No one said a word but Lance stepped forward first.

“Whoops,” Lance just shrugged and walked towards the closet of colorguard uniforms, smoothing his hair and grinning maniacally at his newfound audience in the rest of the band. Keith watched him, half in admiration and half in horror. The rest of the group was less confident, moving as a collective mob to the lockers in the back of the room. Mr. Coran just sighed deeply and returned to teaching. 

<><><><><>

“And here is the Garrison High marching band!” The eccentric band director gave the group a brief introduction and they were off, beginning the first song with ease. The band moved across the field and formed an arch with the drums and colorguard in the center. 

Keith and Lance grinned at each other and didn’t notice the rest of the band behind them slowly falling apart. Wrong notes and a quicker tempo than usual lead to a disaster of the second half of the opening song, but it was over quickly and the second song began. 

Adrenaline kept Keith going as the second song came to a close and the third and newest song began. Anticipation at dancing with Lance bubbled in Keith’s stomach as he moved towards the center, meeting the other boy. Lance was already dancing wildly, throwing in unnecessary moves like the show-off he was. 

“Come on Keith! Dance!” Lance shouted it over the music, which was out of tune and slowed down beyond recognition. Keith took one look at the audience in the stands and realized they were paying no attention. He laughed and started dancing with Lance, narrowly missing multiple notes and a flag or two. The two spun and Lance tossed his flag in perfect time with the distorted music, catching it again and starting his ridiculous dance. Keith’s face flushed a bright red as the dance session ended and the song came to a close, both boys out of breath and trying really hard not to laugh. 

Keith was certain this was the happiest he’d ever been. He wanted to kiss Lance and he was overjoyed and overwhelmed with emotion that he almost did. 

The band marched off the field to the applause of the parents in the stands and immediately started talking. Lance and Keith caught up with the rest of their friends, who were crowded around Matt and Pidge’s xylophones and chatting already. 

“That was our best performance yet!” Lance waved his flag in the air and cheered, hitting Keith in the back with the pole. Everyone else turned to look at him, all with a look of confusion. 

“Sorry to break it to you buddy, but you’re probably the only one that thinks that,” Hunk was the one to break it to his friend. 

“No! Keith thinks it too, right Keith?” Lance shoved Keith in front of him, and Keith just blushed. 

“Are you deaf?” Hunk, Matt, and Pidge broke into laughter at Keith’s comment while Lance frowned at them in disappointment. They walked back to the school, wheeling the xylophones down the sidewalk and talking about the performance. 

“I think it went amazing and no one can tell me otherwise!” Lance argued as they entered the band room, taking off hats and coats and putting instruments away. 

“I’m telling you otherwise,” Shiro said it as he put his drum major uniform back into it’s place, but Lance wasn’t even listening. He had pulled out his phone and was instead texting away with a frustrated look on his face. He paused and shut off his phone, groaning.

“My phone is a piece of shit!” He dropped it on the floor and didn’t even bother to pick it up, walking over to where Keith was putting on his boots and jacket. 

“Hey Keeeeith,” he tapped the shorter boy on the shoulder and continued, “Would you mind staying for the rest of the game and giving me a ride home afterward?” 

“Why?” 

“Cuz my siblings wanna go home but I wanna stay, so can you stay too and drive me home?” Lance gave him that pleading look that he couldn’t resist, no matter how hard he tried. 

“I guess,” Keith nodded and put his drumsticks back in his locker, slamming it shut and walking with Lance out of the school. As they walked through the dark hallways of the empty school, they talked about the performance. 

“I still think it went fantastic,” Lance twirled an invisible flagpole as he talked, pretending to toss it in the air and catch, “I didn’t drop the flag at all!”

“I don’t think you’ve ever dropped it,” Keith opened the door and walked back outside, noting how cold the October night’s air was. 

“When I first joined colorguard, I couldn’t even hold the flag still without dropping it!” Lance continued, “I was probably the worst one there!”

“Why did you drop snare anyway?” Keith seemed to forget the reaction Lance had had the last time he’d asked the question. This time, Lance shrugged but didn’t say a word until they’d arrived at the gate to the field.

“Hey look, we’re here!” He walked away in the direction of the concession stand, leaving Keith to wonder why Lance kept dodging the question. After a brief moment of thought, he ran off to catch up to Lance, leaving the thoughts behind. 

With twenty minutes of waiting in line behind them, Lance and Keith walked to the stands with food in their hands. They climbed the steps to the bleachers and looked around for open seats. 

“Where should we go?”

“We could sit in the student section…” Both turned and eyed up the fellow Garrison students, who were all standing and screaming. Everyone was dressed in absurdly bright colors and glowsticks, drinks, and food were being thrown over their heads. 

“Let’s not.” 

“Yeah, good idea,” Lance nodded and walked to the other end of the bleachers with Keith behind him. The two found an empty bench and sat, setting down their food. “So who are we playing against this time?”

“I dunno,” Keith directed his attention to the football game for the first time that night, making an attempt to read the school name on the opposing team’s uniforms. He gave up rather quickly and moved on to sipping his soda. He watched a football fly across the field and the crowds scream excitedly.

“Yeah!” Lance stood up and cheered as more points were added to the scoreboard. Someone had scored something and now Garrison was winning. He sat back down and looked over at Keith, who wasn’t even smiling. “Dude, how are you not even a little bit happy? Our team is winning now!”

“I have no idea what just happened,” Keith spat the straw from his mouth and looked back at the field, but Lance gasped in surprise. 

“How do you not know about football?”

“I dunno, I guess-” He was cut off before he could finish but the team scoring another point. Lance jumped in the air, sending chips flying in all directions. He was pulled to his feet by Lance, who grabbed his arm enthusiastically. 

“Cheer with me Keith!” 

“Yay?” It came out more tentative than Keith would have liked, but Lance didn’t seem to notice. He laughed and sat back down, enjoying spending time with his best friend. 

<><><><><>

“We won!” The scream came out of Keith’s mouth and he surprised himself, jumping to his feet and cheering with Lance as the final deciding point of the game was scored. Lance yelled something unintelligible and wrapped his arms around him. Keith flushed a bright red and in the excitement of the moment, hugged back quickly. The hug ended faster than it had begun and Lance pulled away, covering his blushing face with his jacket sleeve. 

“Let’s go home.” The entire walk back to the parking lot was filled with Lance yelling about the exciting game and how great their football team was and how they were going to playoffs for sure. Keith just nodded and went with it, not understanding three-fourths of the words coming from his friend’s mouth. 

They found the motorcycle and sped to Lance’s house, arriving faster than expected. Lance got off in the driveway and started walking to the house. He stopped and turned, motioning for Keith to follow him. “Come inside! My mom is dying to meet you!”

“Okay…” Keith parked the motorcycle and got off too, following Lance into the house. Upon walking through the front door, the first thing he noticed was how large the house was. The living room ceiling was at least twenty feet tall and hallways lead off in every direction. Two kids sat on the floor in front of a fireplace, playing a video game that blasted from speakers hooked up to the tv. 

The door slammed shut behind the two and the kids turned to look at him, standing up and running over. “Lance’s home!” 

An older woman, presumably Lance’s mother, walked in from a hallway and smiled at the sight of the two boys. She walked over and hugged her son before looking Keith up and down. “This must be Keith!” She grinned at him and leaned in to hug him as well, “Lance has told me so much about you!”

“Mom!” Lance’s face was bright red as his mom motioned for the two boys to follow her into the kitchen. 

“Would you guys like anything to eat?” She opened the pantry and started to pull out various items until Lance stopped her, explaining that they’d already eaten. She just put back the food and grinned, looking at clock on the wall, “It’s getting pretty late, Keith would you like to stay the night?”

“I’m sure Keith doesn’t wanna stay with me,” Lance looked at his friend slowly and with warning eyes, as if to say ‘Run while you still can’. 

“Actually, Mrs. McClain, I would love to,” Keith just smiled, wanting to stay with Lance’s mother longer. She was already nicer than any foster parent he’d ever had and seemed like the kind of mom would willingly embarrass her child as much as she pleased, which Keith wanted to hear, “Thanks for the offer!” He shot Lance a smirk when she turned around. Lance shot him the middle finger and he laughed. 

“How about you boys go get some pajamas? Keith, I’m sure Lance would let you borrow some of his,” Mrs. McClain sent them upstairs to Lance’s room, where she disappeared into the hall, leaving the two of them standing across from each other awkwardly. 

“So…” Lance tossed Keith a blue shirt and a pair of soft pants with little stars on them. He grabbed himself a robe from in the closet and tossed it on over his clothes, slipping on a pair of lion-shaped slippers. 

“Nice shoes.” Keith restrained a laugh as the other boy left the room so he could change. He put on the pajamas rather quickly, taking a second to admire the soft texture of the pants and then letting Lance back in. 

“Well now what?” Lance tossed himself onto the bed, ruffling the blue blankets. He stared at Keith with his light eyes and Keith tried to count how many shades of blue there were in the circular shapes.

“I have no idea,” Keith looked around the room for the first time. He noticed the posters adorning the walls, each advertising a tv show or a college or a movie. There were multiple posters of stars and space around the room and a small tv with multiple gaming consoles hooked up to it sat on the floor in the corner. 

“We could go back downstairs and watch a movie or something.” Lance shrugged and sat back up. 

“But aren’t the kids using the tv?”

“We could kick them off.”

“Why don’t we stay up here?”

“Cuz it’s kinda weird being alone with you in my room…” Lance laughed a little and stood, walking out with Keith behind him. They walked past multiple bedrooms, some occupied and some empty. Soon they were back in the living room. 

“You kids should go to bed, it’s really late,” Lance grabbed a remote and turned off the tv in the middle of their game. The two little boys turned and yelled for him to turn it back on, saying they would be done in a second. He turned to Keith, “They always say that.”

“What should we do while we wait?”

Lance looked around the room, his eyes scanning everything for something to do. They landed on the patio door. Suddenly, he had a thought, “I’ve got an idea.” 

Keith watched as Lance grabbed a couple of blankets from around the room and threw them over his shoulder, forming a pile in the middle of the room. “What is it? A fort?”

“Not quite,” Lance picked up the stack and motioned to the door, “Grab your jacket.”

Lance grabbed Keith’s hand, pulling him into the backyard. It was dark out now and the stars shimmered overhead, casting strange shadows on the yard. A light dew covered the grass, reflecting off the starlight and making the whole ground shimmer.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see!”

Lance threw the blanket onto the grass, unfolding it and sitting down. 

Keith didn’t get it. “What are you doing?”

“Just sit.” Lance eagerly motioned to the empty blanket space next to him, gesturing for Keith to join him.

“Okay…” Keith still didn’t understand why he was sitting in the dark with Lance. He sat anyway, getting quite close.

“Now look up,” Lance pointed at the sky and laid down, resting his head on his arms. Keith followed, trying to recreate Lance’s position. He stared up at the stars and gasped. He had never seen so many in his life. Galaxies and colors and lights of every shape and size twinkled down at him. He didn’t know what to say. 

“I love doing this,” Lance said softly, moving closer to Keith and smiling in the dark. 

“It’s pretty nice, I guess,” Keith was smiling too, trying not to notice how close Lance was getting. 

“What are you kidding, this is amazing!”

“Yeah.”

“My family and I used to come out here and watch the stars all the time. Those were the good old days. Now everyone’s in school and no one has time for this anymore. My sister’s off at college and the little ones have homework now. We don’t spend nearly enough time together,” Lance sighed as he reminisced, unsure as to why he was telling Keith these things. But Keith said nothing; he didn’t mock him or tell him to stop. He just listened, taking it all in and thinking about what it would be like if he had a family who would go outside and watch the stars with him. If he had a family and siblings he would do this too. “I just wish we could’ve stayed close like we were when I was little. But life happens I guess. People come in and out of your life for a reason.”

“Yeah. I guess.” Keith said softly, not sure what else he could say. He wanted to ask what had happened, but he didn’t want to pressure Lance. 

The two sat and stared at the stars. Keith wanted to say something, tell Lance something, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. 

“Can I tell you something?” Lance turned to him with a serious look, a change from his current mood. 

“You already have…”

“Is that a yes?”

Keith nodded, though he wasn’t sure if Lance could see him in the low light. 

“I remember the night at your house,” Lance said it with a wince. 

“Dude, what the heck? Why’d you say you didn’t?” Keith sat up and said it louder than he’d meant to, voice cracking slightly.

“I don’t know,” the other boy looked at the ground, refusing to meet his eyes, “I just say some things sometimes. I don’t really know why…” He trailed off. 

“Same,” Keith didn’t know what else to say. He laid back on the blanket, staring up at the stars instead of looking at Lance. 

The two sat in silence for a while, Keith wondering if he’d said the wrong thing. Had he stopped Lance from saying what he was going to? But finally, Lance spoke.

“I don’t want to disappoint them, Keith.”

“What are you talking about?”

“My family. I can’t let them down. They’ve been through so much Keith,” his voice broke and he took a moment to compose himself before continuing, “they’ve lost so much. They don’t deserve another disappointment.”

“Wait, what?” Keith spun to look at Lance, who was now avoiding eye contact. He was staring at the stars, sniffling softly. The boy’s eyes were shining with tears. 

“You don’t get it! I’m talking about me, Keith. They can’t know I got into a fight,” his words sped up now as he hiccupped with tears, “they can’t know I got beat up. They can’t know I wasn’t going to be head drummer!” He spat out the last bit, squinting his eyes closed in frustration.

Keith grabbed his friend’s shoulder, his voice breaking with concern. “Lance! Lance, listen to me. What are you talking about?”

“You,” Lance said it so softly Keith thought he heard wrong. “It was going to be me. I was going to be the head snare drummer and make my family proud of me. I was going to do something worthwhile for once!” He stopped, realizing he was getting louder again. “But then you came along and just took my chance with you. You were amazing. I couldn’t compete. I knew from the first time I saw you play that you were gonna get the spot. I stopped while I still could.” A pause. “Colorguard was something I could do well. I switched before I could disappoint everyone…” Tears streamed down his cheeks now and he was inconsolable. The thoughts in his head were so much worse than anything a family member could ever say. The only one who thought he was a disappointment was himself. 

“Lance…”

“I’m a fake, Keith. I’m such a fake. I tell them I’m doing great and I’m not! I tell everyone I’m doing great but it’s all a lie. I can’t let them know I’m a failure,” he stopped abruptly when he heard Keith sniffling beside him.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, IM SORRY.” Keith put the pieces together in his head. Lance would be head snare drum if he hadn’t shown up. Lance wouldn’t have confidence issues. Lance would be better off without him. He had hurt him. “I’m going to drop out, Lance. You wanted your chance and I took it. I’m such an idiot. Oh my God I’m so sorry.”

Keith couldn’t cry now. Not in front of Lance. He stood up, starting to leave, when he felt a hand grab his ankle. 

“No! Keith! Ugh, why did I have to open my stupid mouth!” Lance covered his face with his hand, “I just wanted to tell someone about this. I needed to get it out. I didn’t mean to push all my problems on you!” Lance sobbed even more, letting go of Keith’s ankle and sitting in the dark. The stars cast a shadow over his glowing form as he shook with tears.

Keith looked at him through blurred eyes. He couldn’t leave Lance like this. He had to do something or they’d never speak again. He’d lose the only close friend he had. He sat back down next to Lance and just stared at the stars, wiping the tears away. 

“You should have your chance, Lance.”

“No. Keith, oh God no. I’ve moved on,” more sniffling, “you’re the best drummer I’ve ever heard and I don’t want you to stop because of me. I’m glad you got the head snare. You deserve it.” He looked over at Keith, meeting his gaze for the first time that night and giving him a small smile. “I’m so happy for you.”

Keith hugged him. He leaned over and swiftly grabbed Lance, pulling him into his arms. The other boy cried into his shoulder, softly sobbing into the quiet. Keith just hugged him harder, trying to make up for all the harm he’d caused. 

They sat like that for a while, just hugging in the dark. 

“Can I tell you something?”

Lance broke away from the hug, looking at Keith through big, watery eyes.

“Well I just poured my heart out to you, so I guess it’s your turn.”

Keith chuckled nervously, worried about what he was going to do. It had been a split-second decision to say anything at all, one he was probably going to regret. “Okay, where do I even start?”

“Why don’t you tell me about your parents? Or the boxes in your room? Or why you moved here?” Lance returned to his spot on the blanket, wiping his eyes. He wanted direct attention off of himself, but was also curious about Keith. The other boy had always been so mysterious… 

“Do you have a list of things you want to know about me?”

“Maybe.” The two laughed for a little while before Keith said something. 

“Okay, so I’m an orphan. I don’t have parents. My mom left me and my dad died when I was young,” Keith let that sink in for a moment before continuing, “I don’t remember them so I guess it’s fine. It just kinda… it just kinda ruins me, you know, that no one wants me.”

“Keith that’s not true.” Lance looked at him differently now, but it wasn’t with pity like most people had. It was with confusion. It was like he actually believed that Keith was wrong.

Keith ignored the comment and continued, “I’ve been moving ever since. I’ve never stayed in a high school longer than a year. I’ve never had friends. That’s why I’m so weird. That’s why I’m so awkward! I just don’t trust anyone. It’s weird, I know. I mean, I don’t even know if that’s a valid reason! I just… I can’t.”

Lance thought about what Keith said, about how he didn’t trust anyone. Why was he telling him this? Did he actually trust Lance? He began to cry again. Keith was telling him all of this because he finally found someone he could trust.

“Wait, why am I telling you all of this?”

“I kinda asked you to so…”

“Good point.” 

A quiet laugh was shared between the friends as they laid back on the ground, looking at the thousands of stars that dotted the sky. It was a beautiful and serene moment, the quiet was no longer tense; it was welcome and peaceful.

“You know, I’ve never really stopped and looked at the stars before,” Keith said.

“Really? You’re missing out man!”

“Yeah. I realize that now.”

“This is one of my favorite things to do.”

 

“What? Pour your heart out to people you barely know in the middle of the night?”

“No stupid,” Lance grinned in the dark, “look at the stars.”

He leaned over, resting his head on Keith’s shoulder. Keith didn’t know what to say. He just let it happen, glad that it was dark so Lance couldn’t see him blushing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then, things got pretty angsty there. I just wanted to write a fluffy story, but something went wrong and we got this instead. 
> 
> Anyway, the song Lance is singing on the way to the park and playing in the car (the one this fic is named after) you can listen to right [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e1DBLXnjeQ)


	5. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow a lot can happen in one chapter.

Laughter. Laughter and bright lights. 

Keith opened his eyes and looked around, remembering for a brief moment what had happened the previous day. He found that Lance was right next to him, extremely close. The two were wrapped in the blanket and Lance’s little siblings had found them. 

“Look at them!”

 

“I know, it’s so funny!”

“Did they fall asleep out here?”

“Shhhh… I think he’s waking up!”

Keith looked back at Lance, who slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them. He looked at Keith, noticing how close together they were. 

Face flushed red, Keith tried to escape the blanket and Lance did the same. They just got more tangled together, flailing limbs and kicking around. 

“Are you guys dating?” One of Lance’s siblings, a girl with dark hair and a round face, asked them. 

“What! No!” Lance panicked even more, flopping around under the blankets. 

 

“Are you sure?” Another one asked.

“Get out of here!” The little kids sprinted away, squealing in delight at seeing their brother embarrassed. 

As soon as they were gone, Lance calmed down, slowly wiggling his way out of the blankets with a sigh. Keith just watched, laughing to himself. He liked to see Lance embarrassed. Then Lance turned and looked at him.

“Nice hair.”

“Shut up.”

They got up, going inside to get breakfast. Lance’s siblings squealed when they saw them, but the two ignored the kids, grabbing snacks out of the pantry and sitting down in the living room. 

After eating, Keith decided it was time to return back to his foster home. He knew his “parents” wouldn’t care where he was, but he thought it was rude to stay at Lance’s house. 

“I’m gonna head home, I guess.”

“Okay, bye,” Lance waved as Keith walked out the door, slipping on his shoes and walking down the driveway to his bike, which was still parked out front. 

Keith didn’t wanna go back to his foster home just yet. He got on the bike and pulled out of the driveway, speeding off to an unknown destination.

As he drove, thoughts plagued his mind. Thoughts of Lance and thoughts of late nights under the stars and early morning laughter. Thoughts of how cute Lance looked when he laughed, or how it felt when he cried into Keith’s chest. 

Before he knew it, Keith was back at the foster home, stopping his bike and getting off. As he walked back into the familiar house, he realized he was still wearing Lance’s pajamas. He laughed to himself as he sat down on the couch and turned on the tv. He started watching something on the news but was soon distracted again by his own thoughts. He couldn’t take his mind off Lance, or last night’s events. Why did he tell Lance those things? What did Lance tell him those things? Why did they trust each other?

Keith couldn’t think of an answer, except for his feelings. Was this how love worked? Keith had never liked anyone before, but he’d never felt this way about anyone either. He couldn’t tell if this was what love was. He couldn’t interpret his own feelings, only know that they were different than anything he’d ever felt. He sat for a while, thinking it over and replaying the events of the last few weeks. He couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment when he began to have feelings for Lance, just that it started and didn’t stop. His heart raced at just the thought of seeing Lance again; that must’ve meant something. 

He needed a distraction, even if it was just a momentary one. He could face his feelings later, even if he was almost certain what they were and he was just denying them now. 

He turned off the tv and walked upstairs to his bedroom, the empty halls of the house seeming to watch him. He entered his room, greeted by the boxes that covered the floors. He sighed, wondering how long it would be until he’d have to leave again. He sat on the bed and stared at the boxes, the thought bothering him even more. How long had the boxes been there? A week? Longer? He would be leaving soon. He didn’t want to know, but at the same time curiosity plagued him. It made him wonder how much time he would have left. 

Keith stood, walking down the hall to his foster mom’s room. He sucked in a deep breath before knocking on the door softly. He silently hoped she wouldn’t be in her room. If she wasn’t there, she wouldn’t have to tell him when he was leaving. 

“Come in,” came a feminine voice from inside. 

Keith cursed to himself before finally walking into the room, pushing the door open. 

“Oh! Keith! Hi honey, is there something you need?” His foster mom put down her book and sat up in bed, looking at him with the concerned pity face she always gave him.

“I was just wondering,” he paused, trying to keep his voice steady, “when I’m going to be leaving?”

“This Wednesday sweetie.” She said, going back to her book like it was a casual thing to tell someone they would only have two days left with their friends and the only person they had ever liked. 

“Wait, what? This soon?” Keith could feel the panic rising in his chest. He didn’t realize he had this little time. He didn’t know he wouldn’t be able to play the homecoming game or go to the dance.

He didn’t know he’d only have two days left with his friends. 

“Can we push it back?” His voice cracked, “I have to play to homecoming game!”

“I know the band means a lot to you, but we have another child coming on Thursday. There’s nothing we can do,” she didn’t look up from her book as she spoke, like it was pre-scripted.

Keith couldn’t take it. He darted out of the room, sprinting down the hall and bursting into his room. He threw himself onto the bed, letting his tears flow. He had finally made a friend. He finally found where he belonged, and it was being torn away from him. He was going to lose everything. He was going to lose Lance. How could he go from the best feeling in the world to the worst in mere minutes?

The more he thought of Lance and his friends, the more he cried. He couldn’t put himself in the position of breaking it to them. He couldn’t put himself in the position of breaking it to Lance. He couldn’t tell them that he was just going to leave and never come back. They all deserved to know, but he couldn’t be the one to tell them. He just couldn’t. He wasn’t going to cry in front of them; he was sure about that.

After a long time of thinking through different scenarios in his head, Keith finally chose one that would hurt himself the least. It was probably going to break his heart to do it, but he just couldn’t tell them. He was going to disappear into the background, lose contact with them without them ever even knowing. He would pretend everything was normal and go along with the normal activities, and then just go away and never come back.

And that’s exactly what he did. 

The two days before he left were torture. He still had to go to his classes. He still had to hang out with his friends and pretend nothing was wrong. He had to play in the band like he was going to be at the homecoming game. And it tore him up inside. He was never going to go to the classes again. He was never going to hang out with his friends again. He was never going to go to the homecoming game or play with the band. 

So Wednesday morning, he was ready. Keith got on his motorcycle and left town, following the minivan of his new foster family as they drove to the next town over. He said he wasn’t going to cry, but as he drove past the school he couldn’t hold it in anymore. His friends were in there, taking classes without him and wondering where he went. He let the tears roll down his face and drip off his chin, silent. He was never able to tell Shiro, Matt, and Allura how much he appreciated them. He was never able to tell Hunk how kind he had been and how it meant so much to him. He was never able to tell Pidge how much he cared that they were his first friend. He was never even able to tell Lance about his feelings.

“Welcome to your new home Keith, I’m Mrs. Thorne but you can call me Mom if you’d like!” The cheery woman who had met him only minutes earlier now lead him through her house, introducing him to his new foster siblings and family. He just stared, showing no emotion as he met countless other kids and teens. When she showed him his room, he went inside and didn’t come out for the rest of the day. 

Or the next day. 

Or the one after that. 

Friday night, the night of the homecoming game. 

Keith laid on his expensive new bed, staring at the stars painted on the ceiling of his new room. It was all he had done for the last two days. He had gotten up to eat and change clothes, but couldn’t bring himself to do anything else. He hadn’t even changed close that day, still laying in Lance’s pajamas, the ones he had worn a week ago. 

He had gotten texts from people. He had gotten one from Pidge, asking if he would be playing at the game. It had been on Wednesday when he hadn’t shown up to school. He had gotten two from Hunk, asking where he went. Those had been on Thursday. Lastly, he had gotten some from Lance. Those kept coming. 

L: Where are you?

L: When are you coming back?

L: Keith?

L: Keith…

L: Wish you could be here

The most recent one came only minutes ago, making Keith sad all over again. He just wished there was a way he could play in the band one more time. He wanted to see Lance again and tell him the truth.

He sat up and looked at the time. 7:00. One hour until the band would play at the game. Keith couldn’t believe he was giving up so easily. He couldn’t believe this was it.

“Wait a second.” He wasn’t going to quit so easily.

Keith scrambled out of bed, suddenly having an idea. It was a fleeting thought that he was almost certain wouldn’t work, but it couldn’t hurt to try. He dashed across the room and grabbed a t-shirt and jeans, putting them on quickly. He ran down the hall and outside, putting on his red jacket and boots as he left. 

Soon, Keith’s red motorcycle was driving down the road at twice the speed limit, swerving between cars. He was going to make it to the game whether they wanted him there or not. Nothing could stop him. 

As he pulled into the school parking lot, he could hear the band practicing behind the stands. They would be playing soon. Keith cursed as he sprinted into the school, tossing his jacket to the ground as he arrived at the band room.

“Oh my God!” He grinned when he saw that his uniform was still hanging on the hook. They hadn’t gotten rid of it yet. He shoved it on over his clothes, not even bothering to zip it. His drum was still in his locker too, as if waiting for him. He grabbed it and was off again, sprinting to the football field. 

They were about to go on. The band was waiting by the entrance to the field, instruments ready. He was going to make it. He darted between other band members, trying to find his place in line. The group started to move, marching onto the field quickly. Keith snuck into his spot, grinning from ear to ear. He couldn’t believe he’d done it. He’d actually done it. He was here and no one could stop him now. 

The first two songs went fine. Everything happened at the right time and no one missed a note. Keith crossed the field and joined in formation with the rest of the band, feeling the happiest he’d been all week. He didn’t miss a beat and it was like he’d never left, playing along with the other snares in perfect sync. It was probably his best performance ever. 

Until the third and final song. 

Keith backed up quickly until he was in line with the colorguard. He was right next to Lance. Lance wasn’t smiling. He was looking straight ahead with a look of concentration on his face. He looked so focused, like he was trying really hard to do his best. 

Until he turned to the left. 

Lance turned to the boy next to him and his eyes got wide. He smiled a huge, open smile. “Keith!” 

Keith didn’t know how much he missed seeing Lance until that moment. He smiled back, trying to stop the tears of happiness that rolled down his face. He missed every part of Lance. For those two days, he almost forgot what it was like to see him smile. 

Lance began to cry too as they two moved in step, spinning in their usual circles. Keith missed multiple beats before even realizing he’d stopped playing. He picked back up and the two continued their dance, breaking away from the circle and backing up again before splitting. 

The song ended and the group turned and marched off the field. Keith wiped his eyes and broke away from the group as soon as they got off the field, not wanting to get caught. 

Lance spotted Keith through the crowd and dropped his flag, sprinting in his friend’s direction. He leaped at him from behind, tackling him in a hug. 

“Keith! Oh my God! What are you doing here?!?” 

“It’s only been two days Lance…” Keith didn’t understand how Lance could know he’d left. He hadn’t told him he’d be gone for good, but then again, he hadn’t told him he’d be gone at all.

“I went to your house. They told me you left! I thought you were gone forever. Keith, it felt like forever…” Lance had released him from the hug now and faced him from the front, a serious expression on his face.

“It felt like forever for me too.”

“So how’d you get back here? I didn’t see you for the whole first half of the game?”

“I just showed up,” Keith shrugged, “No one stopped me.”

“Nice.” Lance gave him a high-five as Keith removed his drum and started taking off his harness. 

“Hey, can we go somewhere quiet?” Keith asked the question nervously, knowing that what he was about to do next could mess up his relationship with Lance forever.

“Yeah man.” The two took off their hats and set them near Keith’s drum, walking off to a spot behind the bleachers where it would be the quietest. Keith fidgeted with his hands as he walked, terrified for what he was about to do.

“So where have you been?” Lance leaned against the backside of the bleachers, grinning. 

“I moved.”

“Okay, but like, where?” 

“Another town over.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” The question Keith had been dreading. 

“I couldn’t.” He decided to go with the truth because that’s what Lance deserved to hear, even if it’s not what he wanted to say. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I didn’t want to have to be the one to break it to you. I didn’t wanna see you cry again because I’d start crying and we’d both be a mess.”

“Keith…”

Lance leaned over to hug his friend. It was a soft hug, heartfelt and perfect. Keith loved the warmth of Lance’s arms and Lance loved the feeling of Keith. The two wanted to stay like this forever. 

Finally, Keith broke it off, pulling away to say something. “But there’s a reason I came back. I gotta ask you something.” His heartbeat pounded in his chest and butterflies flew circles in his stomach. 

“What is it?”

“Listen, I know it’s kinda late, I mean I have the worst timing in the world, but,” Keith took a deep breath, “do you wanna go to homecoming with me?” He blurted it out quickly, face flushing a bright red.

“Wait, you like me?” Lance looked at him with a cocked eyebrow and a suspicious look.

“Um… yes,” That was it. Keith blew it. He was about to turn around and leave before Lance said something.

“Dude, I feel the same.”

“Is that a yes?”

Lance grabbed Keith by the collar and pulled him in for a kiss. It was soft and sweet and everything he’d dreamed of. Keith pulled Lance closer, pressing against him. Lance’s hands were running up and down his back, tugging at his uniform softly. He just pulled at every part of Lance he could get his hands on, making them grow even closer. The two stayed pressed together, even when they pulled apart to breathe. 

Lance grinned. “I can’t believe you like me.”

“I can’t believe _you_ like _me_.”

Keith kissed Lance this time, running his hands through Lance’s hair softly. Lance smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Keith. Neither knew how much they needed the feeling of touching each other until this moment. It was like nothing they had ever felt before, and they didn’t want it to stop. 

The two pulled apart, both blushing and avoiding each other’s gaze. Keith blushed bright red before abruptly hugging Lance, burying his face in the other boy’s chest and grinning. Lance McClain liked him back and it was the best feeling in the world. He made a small squealing noise followed by a bunch inaudible screaming. 

“Speaking nonsense, huh,” Lance, thinking he was clever for quoting his favorite song, laughed and the sound echoed off the bleachers as he pulled Keith off of him to look his lover in the eyes. 

“Sure, nonsense.”

<><><><><>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was technically supposed to be the last chapter, but I really wanted to write a happy and fluffy chapter for once, so I added an epilogue.


	6. Epilogue: Speaking Nonsense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happy and fluffy ending.

A: We’re waiting outside!

 

K: im coming!

Keith shut his phone and looked in the mirror one last time. The black dress shirt he had gotten with his foster mother that morning was a little wrinkled in places and he smoothed it down, putting on his red tie and giving his reflection a small smile. 

The previous night had ended with a bang and when he’d returned to his foster home, he’d been in a frenzy. He was going to homecoming with Lance McClain, and he had nothing to wear. After searching his entire wardrobe and coming up empty, he’d approached his foster mom and asked her what to do. They had sprinted into the mall at 10:30 PM and went through every store until they found what they needed. 

Keith walked downstairs and heard a knock on the door. He was about to answer it when one of the many children of the household sprinted into the entryway and flung open the door. Lance was on the other side, grinning nervously. 

“Woah,” Keith looked at his boyfriend in amazement. Lance had on a black dress shirt as well, with a bright blue tie that made his eyes and freckles pop. He had brushed his hair for once, and it looked very nice. When Keith caught himself staring, he looked away blushing and invited Lance in. 

“Keith! Is this your friend?” His foster mom had heard the commotion and came downstairs looking at the two with a smile, but it wasn’t like the kind Keith was used to getting. It was a kind and genuine smile that made him return it. 

“We’re dating!” Lance blurted it really excitedly, like he’d been waiting to say it for a long time. He grabbed Keith’s hand and the two anxiously looked at Keith’s foster mom, who’s smile hadn’t even wavered. Keith knew nothing about his new parent and wondered if she'd understand their relationship. 

“That’s wonderful! Lemme get some pictures!” She pulled a phone from her pocket and started snapping photos of the two, who awkwardly stood in front of the door. Keith wasn’t used to foster parents being accepting, or even attempting to be nice. “Great! Now a funny one!”

Before Keith could even comprehend what was happening, Lance jumped into his arms. “Lance, what the-” he was cut off by the sound of a camera clicking and a bright flash. Lance was laughing insanely and his foster mom took more, snapping one of Lance kissing him on the cheek and then one of Keith blushing while Lance laughed. 

“Bye boys!” They finally left, walking out the Allura’s van and holding hands. Keith’s foster mom and siblings waved out the door as the two waved back and loaded into the van. They were met with the astonished faces of their friends, who were all looking at them with opened mouths and wide eyes. 

“When did this happen?” Shiro was the first to speak as the two sat down in the middle seats and tightened their buckles. They both turned even redder. Their friends didn’t know yet. 

“Yesterday night,” Lance said it casually and threw his arm over Keith as the car backed out of the driveway. 

“Congratulations!” Hunk hugged the two of them from behind and the rest of the group cheered and hooted.

“Finally!” Pidge laughed, “I’ve been shipping it since day one!” They and Hunk high-fived, like they had planned this. Chances are, they did.

“Let's go have fun!” Allura turned up the radio and the van turned the corner that lead to the school, showing them the crowded parking lot and students in the front, waiting to be let in. Someone already toilet-papered the trees in the front and teachers were already trying to get it down. 

The white minivan parked in the back of the lot and everyone got out, smoothing clothes and fixing hair. Allura checked her makeup for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes while Shiro assured her that she looked stunning. Matt took pictures of his little sibling and Pidge sent him some choice words, but they were smiling. 

A cheer from the front of the school meant the front doors were opened and people were streaming into the lunchroom where the dance was being held. The group walked to the doors and turned in their tickets, entering the dark room.

“This is pretty nice!” Lance said as he pulled Keith toward the center of the room and started dancing to whatever song blasted over the speakers. Keith, having no concept of mainstream music, just awkwardly swayed to beat and watched Lance. The rest of their friends joined them, dancing in a lopsided circle. 

After a few songs and meeting up with more of their friends, the group found their way to the back of the line for the photo booth. Lance was the one who made them do it and they’d all agreed. 

“Okay let’s do a dumb one first!” Hunk found the props table and the group all put on the stupidest costume pieces they could find before ducking into the booth and taking the first photo. Lance and Keith had on matching blue and red hats, Allura had a feathered boa around her neck, Pidge and Matt had their backs to each other with sunglasses on, and Shiro and Hunk both had on fake mustaches. They swapped accessories for the second photo but didn’t do it fast enough, so the second photo was a blur with everyone yelling at each other and throwing things. The third one was a nice photo with everyone smiling. In the last one, Pidge, Hunk, and Matt collectively shoved the two couples into kissing. Their smirks and the blushes on everyone else made for one hilarious photo.

The squad emerged from the photo booth and collected their pictures, moving back toward the center of the room. A gigantic clump of students had formed and they bobbed and danced to the music.

“Let's go dance!” Lance dragged Keith toward the front and the two began dancing to the loud music. A pop song came on and the DJ, a senior who was probably getting paid for this, announced the song was a request. Lance’s mouth dropped open and he spun to Keith, “Wait! We can request songs?”

“I guess so,” Keith shrugged.

“Wait right here!” Lance sprinted off in the direction of the DJ booth, screaming something about his amazing taste in music. Keith just laughed and leaned against a nearby wall, watching the other students dancing and singing to the music. Strobe lights bounced off the ceilings and walls, casting weird flashes of light and color across the sea of teenagers. 

“Hey Keith,” He turned to find Shiro leaning on the wall next to him. 

“Where’s Allura?” 

“Oh, her and Pidge wanted to go try the drinks,” Shiro chuckled, “I sent Hunk to make sure they don’t try to spike them.” Keith laughed a bit at the thought of Pidge sneaking around the punch table trying to find the right time to slip something in. “Where’s Lance?”

“He found out he could request songs,” He pointed to his boyfriend as he shouted something at the DJ, who was paying no attention. 

“I’m so glad you guys finally got together.” Shiro watched Lance as he spoke, smiling to himself. 

“Finally?” 

“We had a bet going on that you guys were secretly dating or something. I think I won.”

Keith looked at him with a bit of a frown, “What are you talking about?”

“We all knew something was going on between you two. I was the one who noticed first since neither of you have an ounce of subtlety in your entire bodies,” Shiro continued to chuckle as Lance started making his way back to them, occasionally turning back to shoot the DJ a few dirty looks. 

“Wow,” Keith pushed himself off the wall as Lance returned. He waved goodbye to Shiro, who was off to the punch table to see what the mess his girlfriend and company had created. 

“Let’s dance!” Lance grabbed Keith’s hand and pulled him into the center of the crowd to which he much objected. The song ended and the DJ turned to the crowd.

“This next one was requested by Lance McClain,” he said it with no energy despite his job. Lance felt eyes land on him as the song started. He grinned maniacally as the beat began. Keith looked at him nervously.

“Lance, what is this?” The song’s lyrics started and a wave of recognition came over the crowd. Many of them started cheering and laughing while Lance started dancing and Keith stared at him. Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda blasted through the speakers. Even Keith knew this song, but he wished he didn’t. He face-palmed as Lance smirked at him and danced. “Why…”

Thoroughly embarrassed, Keith looked for an exit from the claustrophobic clump of students. Lance grabbed his arm and swung him around before he could escape, pulling him into an awkward dance. “Come on Keith! Sing along!” Lance shouted the lyrics, which he knew every one of. Keith rolled his eyes before sing-shouting a couple of lines. “Ha ha!” Lance cried out, “I knew my boyfriend wasn’t a complete loser!” 

“I’m not, but you are!” Keith yelled it over the loud music, which was coming to an end and the next song was beginning. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and stopped dancing, “I’m gonna go get a drink!” 

“I’m coming with you,” Lance walked out of the crowd, pushing people to the side and making other people mad. Keith just shuffled behind him, thankful to get out of the mob. The two found the punch table, where a disgruntled Mr. Coran was attempting to monitor what was happening. Allura, Pidge, Matt, and Hunk were in a huddle off to the side, probably thinking of a plan to drug the drinks. 

“Okay, so Allura is our distraction. Matt and I will sneak in from behind and get the job done,” As they got close enough the hear the conversation, Keith figured he was correct. Pidge turned to find him behind them and shrieked. “Oh hi Keith! I thought you were a teacher.”

“I’m not gonna stop you,” Keith held his hands out toward the punch table, “Continue.” Pidge just grinned at him and snuck in the direction of the table with the rest of the group cheering them on. Matt followed while Allura walked to the front of the table and began to talk to Mr. Coran, successfully creating a distraction.

“I feel like this is going to go wrong somehow…” Hunk watched them go with Lance and Keith, who were both equally is as enthralled in their friends’ escapades. 

Pidge leaned over the table to the punch bowl and slowly removed the lid. Matt stood behind them, watching Mr. Coran like a hawk. Everything was going the way their weird plan had said until Pidge knocked over the punch bowl. 

The bowl fell to the ground and shattered, punch and glass flying in every direction. Pidge screamed, “Mission abort!” Allura ducked into the crowd that was forming around the table. Mr. Coran shrieked when he saw Matt and Pidge dart away into the dark, yelling something about having to clean up their mess. 

“Let’s go back to dancing…” Keith started heading back to the main room with Lance following him. 

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom quick,” Lance slipped off into the bathroom, leaving Keith alone in the hallway. The music continued to blast in the lunchroom, bass thumping through the entire building. He nodded his head to the beat, and that’s when he got an idea. The short boy darted down the hall, finding Pidge and Shiro at the end near the spilled punch bowl. Shiro was giving Pidge a lecture, but he could do that later, Keith’s idea was urgent. 

“Pidge! Shiro! I have an idea, but I need to know what kind of music Lance likes,” he was out of breath from sprinting down the hall and wiped his forehead with his tie. The two stopped talking and turned to him, both with questioning expressions. 

“He likes cheesy pop and songs about love,” Shiro answered the question easily and with a solution that didn’t surprise Keith. Of course he liked the one genre Keith hated. 

“Pidge, what’s a song he likes?” 

“Uh,” they thought for a moment, “he likes that dumb Nonsense song.” Oh yeah, the one that he played nonstop in the car. That one.

“Who’s it by?” He pulled out his phone and typed in the song title. A few songs came up and he clicked on the first one, holding the screen so Pidge could see. The song played, though it was barely audible over the talking and loud music. Shiro leaned in to listen, nodding. 

 

“That’s the one,” He nodded. It was the dumb song Lance played in the car all the time. Perfect for what Keith was planning. 

“Thanks guys!” He dashed off with the song still playing in his pocket. The main room came into view and he could feel the air getting warmer. Soon Keith was back in the center of the crowd, shoving his way to the front, where the DJ was still blasting music without any look of actual interest. 

Upon reaching the DJ booth, Keith slammed his hands on the counter and grabbed the boy’s attention. “What do you want?” 

“You’re still doing song requests, right?” Keith shoved his phone in the DJ’s face and the other boy nodded slowly, “Okay, play this in a few minutes.” The DJ wrote down the name of the song and motioned for him to go away. 

“Keith!” Lance was behind him, frowning, “I thought I told you to stay put!” 

“You didn’t!” Keith yelled it over the speakers and moved toward the back of the lunchroom. When they arrived at the other side, the previous song ended and a new one began. 

“This one was requested by Keith!” The opening beats of Nonsense began and Keith watched Lance’s face light up. The lyrics started and the taller boy hugged him tightly. 

“Keith you’re the best!” Lance began dancing right there, grinning and singing along. Keith blushed and danced along, getting twirled by Lance a few times. The main melody began and Lance grabbed Keith’s hands, swaying and bouncing. One pulled the other closer during the slower part, listening to the lyrics. 

Time seemed to slow, even if it was just a few seconds, because Keith looked into Lance’s blue eyes and pulled him close. In a spur of the moment, a kiss was exchanged and the two pulled close in the dark. 

“Hey you two!” Allura, Matt, and Hunk interrupted their moment abruptly and the two split, backing away and blushing. 

“Things gettin’ spicy over here,” Matt wiggled his eyebrows at the two and the moment was completely ruined. 

“I see Lance is back at it with requesting songs,” Allura swayed to the music, her dress flowing around her. The beat had picked up again and the student mob behind them was bouncing and singing, or attempting to. No one knew the lyrics except Lance and his friends, and they knew every word. 

“This was actually Keith’s idea,” Lance got over his embarrassment at getting caught and wrapped his arm around his boyfriend’s waist.

“Really? I didn’t think you liked this kind of music,” Hunk said it as they danced, slowly forming a circle. 

“I don't. I did it for him,” he looked over at Lance, who was grinning and turning red. 

“Awww,” the rest cooed as the song came to an end and a slower song came on. 

“Let's dance!” Lance turned to Keith with sparkling eyes. Keith nodded and gulped. The other songs had been fine because no one could dance to those, but a slow song? He didn't know the first thing about ballroom dancing. 

The tall boy grabbed his hands and placed them in the correct position, seeming to read his mind. “Like this.” He just nodded and the dancing began. Lance hummed along to the melody softly, meeting Keith’s gaze and smiling a little. Keith had never seen someone so beautiful.

The beat began to pick up and Keith leaned over, dipping Lance slightly and kissing him. It was a soft kiss that ended way too quickly and the dancing continued, but there had been an electric feeling in the air while it lasted. 

“Remember me in these summer nights when we felt the light,” Lance sang as the two danced and the beat picked back up. The lights flashed around them and the two couldn’t help but stare into each other’s eyes, but the moment was only serious for a few seconds. 

“We are so cliche, what the fuck?!” Lance burst out laughing, continuing to dance but now weirdly while he chuckled. Keith just looked at him in confusion. 

“What?”

Lance stopped dancing completely and Keith laughed too. They stayed that way until the end of the song, when Lance decided they should go in the photo booth again, saying he was going to take the cliche to the next level. 

“Okay,” Lance looked over the prop table carefully, holding a blue hat in one hand and a feathered boa in the other, “Which one should we use…”

“Let’s just go in already! There’s a line,” Keith pointed to the two people behind them, who didn’t seem to mind since they were occupied with a make-out session that was getting way too heated to be appropriate for the dance. 

“Fine,” Lance put on the hat and wrapped the boa around Keith’s arms, using it to drag the other boy into the booth. The two sat for the first photo, Lance wearing his hat backwards and looking at the camera with a goofy smile while Keith looked at him with a confused frown. 

“Okay, now swap accessories!” Lance grabbed at Keith’s boa and tossed his hat in his boyfriend’s general direction. In an attempt to grab the hat, Keith got tangled in the boa and the hat fell out of the booth. Lance started yelling and the two argued until a bright flash stopped them and they realized the second picture had been taken. 

“Now we’re taking a nice one,” Lance dropped the boa outside the booth and wrapped an arm around Keith, who looked at him with a little smile and a deep blush. The camera counted down the seconds until the picture was going to be taken and right on one he leaned over and kissed Keith right on the lips. Keith was so taken aback that in the photo his eyes were wide and Lance was grinning into the kiss. 

“Lance!” The light flashed and the last photo was just Lance smirking while Keith glared at him, an accurate representation of their relationship. 

The two got out of the booth and collected their photos, laughing and returning to the dance floor. 

 

“There you guys are!” Hunk waved them over and they found the rest of the group dancing to the side of the big mob in the center. The song on the speakers was some sort of rap that no one seemed to know, but they danced to anyway. 

“Yep! Let’s dance!” Lance dashed into the center of their little circle and started showing off his best dance moves, shaking his hips and moving his arms in sync with the heavy bass of the rap song. Keith tentatively walked to the side of the circle and stood, watching his boyfriend show off. He would never get tired of calling Lance his boyfriend.

“Go in there Keith!” Shiro motioned to the middle of the circle and attempted to push in Keith, who awkwardly moved backward. 

“Yeah Keith!” Pidge started yelling his name from their position of sitting on their brother’s shoulders. “Keith! Keith! Keith!” Keith tried to deny it for as long as he could, backing away from the circle, but when Lance turned to look at him with a hopeful smile he gave in. 

“Yeah!” Lance grabbed Keith’s hand and the two danced in the center of the circle, bouncing to the song. The taller boy kicked in the air, showing off just like during their band performances. Keith just laughed and started doing the dumb choreography they had learned together in band. The two danced it together and soon the rest of their friends had picked up on what they were doing and joined in. 

At the end of the song, Keith was feeling brave so he grabbed Lance’s arm and pulled him in for a tight hug. The music stopped for a moment and everyone cheered, the two removing from their short embrace and waiting for the next song to begin. When it didn’t, Keith yawned, realizing how tired he was and pulling out his phone to check the time. It was only 10:30. 

“Wanna head to my place and play some video games or something?” Lance looked over and him and he nodded in agreement. The two walked outside and noticed it was raining to which Lance shouted, “Sweet!” He took off his jacket and darted into the parking lot, handing it to Keith who just watched him. 

“Come on out Keith, the water’s fine!” Lance spun in circles, sending water flying in every direction. Keith looked around to see if anyone was watching before putting Lance’s jacket over his head and running out into the rain, sprinting past Lance and right to Allura’s van. 

“Do you have the keys?”

There was a pause in Lance’s dancing and he spun to look at Keith, “Nope!”

“Lance what the fuck are we doing out here then!”

“I dunno! It completely slipped my mind that we were carpooling!” Lance realized his mistake far too late and was soon at the wrong end of a game of chase with an annoyed Keith at the other. 

And that's how their friends found the two, chasing each other through the parking lot and dripping wet, but laughing and happy.

<><><><><>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed my first fic!
> 
> The slow song that plays at the dance can be found right [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeCn6ebimyQ)  
> The song for which this fic is named and that the two dance too is [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e1DBLXnjeQ)
> 
> I made a mixtape I guess of songs that inspired me while writing this, here's the [link](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkUApN8m4_ul1wC0T_xIuDS6eqyUINA9j&disable_polymer=true)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys are liking it, this is my first fic so I have no idea if it's any good. If you wanna come chat with me about the fic send me something, I'm on Tumblr @1stPlacePearl


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